If you should want to enter the soon to be Prestige & Waterfront Park (now the Dog Walk parking-lot) through a recently approved new entrance inexplicably farther east, you will do so in a complicated and dangerous approach.
Problem 1
Coming down Hall from Front you keep right for your turn into Lakeside. While tall, dense trees block your sightline to the park entrance and oncoming traffic from the mall: you immediately need to somehow get over to the Lakeside-center during this right-turn, what with the park entrance on the Lakeside-left and relatively close.
Without being able to indicate moving left towards it until you actually are on Lakeside proper - too late! - your quick drift to the center by necessity is too sudden too confusing too dangerous. This with airport-to-mall traffic, cars close behind you from Hall, as well as pedestrians out-of-nowhere crossing towards the lake on the new south-north crosswalk - only its far side visible just before you turn. All this needing an even astute driver's fullest attention.
Problem 2
Oddly - Lakeside is to be narrowed here. Therefore, once you align with the park entrance in the middle of the road, those behind you will be stuck while you wait for a break in oncoming traffic.
Plus - there may be a car attempting to leave the entrance/exit-funnel, possibly to turn towards the mall. This can't happen because while you block the exit you also can't back-up to let it. Stuck in a conundrum!
Problem 3
The Prestige Lakeside Resort receives deliveries counter-clockwise via the funnel. So when entering it you may suddenly be face-on with a truck leaving, as because of the exit's S-shape and trees you are not clearly visible to each other.
Meaning: one of you may need to back-up. Problematic for the truck in this S-curve - and you because you can't back into Lakeside traffic.
Problem 4
Tourists driving down Hall for the Stores-to-Shores experience won't know how to get to the shores-part because it's blocked.
In fact - once past the train-tracks they may hardly see the lake behind the Hall Street Waterfront Park (previously the straightforward entrance) and "signage" in it. This needing to be practically billboard-size to inform the ignorant quickly and clearly what/how once they have crossed the tracks.
Expecting these already confused tourists to then suddenly go through the same difficult routine as locals is astonishingly short-sighted of the WSP/MMM Group planning and Council approving this catastrophe-in-the-making.
Particularly perplexing as - under "Preliminary Design Goals" - the planners' Council-approved presentation promises "improving traffic & pedestrian safety".
Problem 5
Actually this plan needs Prestige approval before the planners - supposedly - can move on to the next, more detailed design-stage. One expects they will ask more questions than Council.
Here it gets murky, because even if the Prestige should reject the plan-as-is: the WSP/MMM Group gets paid anyway - since Council approved it. And seeing that plans now already are being further developed, based on those approved by Council: the more required changes - the more money!
It boggles the mind why the Prestige wasn't consulted before this "preliminary design" was put together and presented to/approved by Council.
Who will require/supervise changes, seeing that Council's involvement ostensibly was over after signing-off on the basic concept - as it was with Phase 1. Leaving decision-making then and now to ...? The public was never told with Phase 1. Will there be a repeat with Phase 2?
This reminds of the Cottonwood Market, where Council threw $82.600 at the Cover Architectural Collaborative for a totally inappropriate design - ultimately quietly rejected some time ago. But the architects were paid regardless and still are with one recent payment of $2.299.50.
Solution
In view of expected future development in the area, and with the public so far unimpressed with Stores-to-Shores, Phase 1 - a more conscious approach to Phase 2 would be appropriate. This including the Nelson Police Department for real-time "traffic & pedestrian safety" matters. As well as the Nelson Fire Department for emergency-access to the property.
So why not just somewhat streamline the entrance-as-is-now - but otherwise simply and directly leave it wide-open to the shores. Welcoming!
Save money, too!
City Council
nelsoncouncil@nelson.ca
Deb Kozak, Mayor
dkozak@nelson.ca
Pam Mierau, Development Services
pmierau@nelson.ca
John Lebleu, General Manager
Nelson@PrestigeHotels.ca
Kevin Cormack, CAO
kcormack@nelson.ca
Colin McClure, CFO
cmcclure@nelson.ca
Colin Innes, Public Works
cinnes@nelson.ca
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