Central City sits just east of downtown Kelowna. Here is what buying a condo there involves, measured from one address and set against the City's growth plan.
Condos for Sale in Kelowna4 min read
By the Serenity team. Published , checked .
Most useful for: Hospital and downtown workers, Downsizers.
Condos near downtown Kelowna are not limited to the downtown core itself. Central City, just east of it, puts downtown, the lake and the hospital a short drive away.
For a buyer, the useful question is what each day looks like from the front door. The distances below are measured from one address, and the City's own plan shows where Kelowna expects its new homes.
Condos near downtown Kelowna include Central City, just east of the core, where 1085 Martin Avenue sits at Gordon Drive. From there it is a 4-minute walk to groceries, a 4-minute drive to downtown and a 5-minute drive to the Kelowna Yacht Club. The City projects 6,939 new homes in the Downtown Urban Centre by 2041, the most of any growth area.
Each number is read from the sources listed at the end of this guide on October 16, 2026.
From Serenity's address at 1085 Martin Avenue it is a 4-minute walk to groceries, a 4-minute walk to Martin Park and a 10-minute walk to the Okanagan Rail Trail. Downtown Kelowna is a 4-minute drive or a 22-minute walk, and the Kelowna Yacht Club on Okanagan Lake is a 5-minute drive. Sandhill Wines and Red Bird Brewing sit about 3 minutes away on Richter Street. Kelowna General Hospital and Okanagan College are both about a 6-minute drive, which matters if you work at either.
The City of Kelowna's 2040 Official Community Plan puts 71% of the growth it projects to 2041 in the five Urban Centres and the Core Area around them. The Downtown Urban Centre alone is projected to take 6,939 new homes, more than any other growth area. Living near downtown puts a buyer next to where the City wants most of its new housing and services to go.
| Growth area | Type | New homes | Share of 45,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown | Urban Centre | 6,939 | 15.4% |
| Midtown | Urban Centre | 3,154 | 7.0% |
| Core Central | Core Area | 3,141 | 7.0% |
| Core Glenmore | Core Area | 2,988 | 6.6% |
| Rutland | Urban Centre | 2,883 | 6.4% |
| Core Lakeshore | Core Area | 2,463 | 5.5% |
| Dilworth | Suburban | 2,453 | 5.5% |
| Core Rutland | Core Area | 2,259 | 5.0% |
| Capri Landmark | Urban Centre | 2,160 | 4.8% |
| Core Hospital | Core Area | 2,131 | 4.7% |
| Pandosy | Urban Centre | 1,969 | 4.4% |
| North End | Core Area | 1,844 | 4.1% |
| Lower Mission | Suburban | 291 | 0.6% |
The City counts all housing types, and projects 65% of new homes citywide as apartments. These are planning projections, not forecasts of what will be built or sold, and the City says actual permits will fluctuate with local real estate and land development cycles. Areas not shown, such as the rest of the suburban districts, add to the citywide total of 45,000.
Downtown's 6,939 projected homes are 15.4% of the 45,000 the City says Kelowna needs between 2021 and 2041, and the figure ranks 1st of the 13 areas in the chart. The five Urban Centres together are projected to take 17,105 homes, 38.0% of the citywide total.
The table puts Downtown beside four other areas. Downtown's figure is the largest by a wide margin.
| Growth area | New homes | Share of 45,000 | Rank of 13 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown (Urban Centre) | 6,939 | 15.4% | 1st |
| Midtown (Urban Centre) | 3,154 | 7.0% | 2nd |
| Core Central (Core Area) | 3,141 | 7.0% | 3rd |
| Capri Landmark (Urban Centre) | 2,160 | 4.8% | 9th |
| Pandosy (Urban Centre) | 1,969 | 4.4% | 11th |
Kelowna General Hospital is about a 11-minute bike ride or a 26-minute bus ride from 1085 Martin Avenue, and Okanagan College is a 6-minute drive. The nearest Okanagan Rail Trail access is a 10-minute walk, about 750 m, and Knox Mountain Park is a 9-minute drive. For trips out of town, Kelowna International Airport is a 15-minute drive.
The walking and bike figures were measured on October 13, 2026. Drive times are the local figures people quote for distance, so treat all of them as approximate and time your own routes at the hours you would travel.
People looking near downtown weigh the same things: how far it is to downtown, to work and to the lake, and how much of the daily routine can be done on foot. Time each route yourself at the hours you would travel. This location can suit hospital and college workers, downsizers who want errands within walking distance and newcomers who want a short drive to the lake.
CMHC's 2025 rental survey for the Kelowna area found an average rent of $1,596 for a one-bedroom apartment and $2,118 for a two-bedroom, with an overall vacancy rate of 6.4%. Those are area-wide averages for purpose-built rentals, not figures for Central City, but they show the monthly cost you would be weighing a purchase against.
Serenity is a 33-residence boutique development of condos and townhomes at the corner of Gordon Drive and Martin Avenue, developed by PashCon Developments with architecture by Lime and interiors by Hatch. The amenities are an indoor gym and yoga studio, plus a rooftop sauna, cold plunge and outdoor kitchen, shown in concept renderings. It is in presale, and pricing has not been released.
Central City is the area just east of downtown Kelowna, and listings place 1085 Martin Avenue at Gordon Drive there. The City's North End begins at Clement Avenue, north of Serenity's address, so Serenity is described as Central City, near downtown Kelowna.
It is about a 4-minute drive or a 22-minute walk to downtown, measured to Water Street and Bernard Avenue. The Kelowna Yacht Club on Okanagan Lake is about a 5-minute drive. Times are approximate and change with traffic.
The City of Kelowna's 2040 Official Community Plan projects 6,939 new homes in the Downtown Urban Centre by 2041, the largest total of any growth area. It describes these as planning projections that will fluctuate with local real estate and development cycles.
CMHC's 2025 survey found average rents of $1,596 for a one-bedroom and $2,118 for a two-bedroom apartment in the Kelowna area, with a vacancy rate of 6.4%. These are area-wide purpose-built rental averages.
General information read from these sources on the date above, not legal, tax or financial advice.
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