Checking the City's website last Saturday to find out what and who will be on the agenda of the Committee Of The Whole (COW), June 22 - I find the Kootenay Co-op listed as a delegation. Their presentation an update on the development's development: interesting, I think.
It is customary - and probably helpful in furthering a delegation's cause - to submit supporting material to the City well before a scheduled presentation: this allowing Council to become familiar with a specific topic and formulate questions. Preceded by a City-generated cover-page of approval - a set of material is always posted several days in advance - under Agendas. To be available to a possibly interested public as well.
The Co-op's cover-page reads:
Topic: Nelson Commons
Proposal: Update
Analysis Summary:
Deirdre Land (sic) and Russell Precious have requested the opportunity to provide Council an update on the Nelson Commons mixed use development project.
Attachments:
Renderings
While in fact - there are no attached renderings: unusual and getting more interesting, I think. A possible sign of what, I wonder.
Next day - Sunday - now wondering whether maybe things have come together in the meantime - I find they have: no cover-page now - but 3 long-obsolete incomplete renderings. No written material. Curiouser and curiouser.
Tuesday morning - after the actual COW: back to the cover-page only.
These renderings are easily accessible on The Nelson Daily - City Council July 22.
Surely this there/not-there is technical only - though for me a first here - yet strangely like a silent comment on the renderings' irrelevance, the lack of any other kind of info - the carelessness behind it all.
To segue into the Co-op's desultory preparedness for and totally documentless presentation of the update to the COW (the Whole including Co-op members in the audience).
With only these 3 renderings to refer to on the councilors' computers: the general tenor of the update is little of what-is and more of what-is-not-now and what-is-supposed-to-be-later. When the architect finishes the drawings. Soon.
The only solid update - period: The design is not ready! Thus much else can't be!
This provides Council with little material for questions. The most significant from Councilor Macdonald - politely tip-toeing instead of kicking some serious butt - voicing concerns over the bland-box-design (my wording) of these renderings and hoping that the real thing will be more and better. Which is promptly promised oh yeah sure of course! The other councilors: nothing - as far as I remember.
Mayor Dooley's only comment along the lines of: you seem well-prepared, in control of the financial - a lack frequently the reason for developments going pear-shaped (my pear!).
Wellll.... actually - no evidence is provided to support that well-prepared/in-control view.
As a member of the Co-op - not the Nelson Commons! - I support the development of the store but am concerned about the rest. All this began with the Co-op-members' money for a store - but focus-thus-expenses have been shifting towards the condos above. Of which 80% have to be pre-sold before the banks kick-in with the real money. So what if - the dread what-if - this goal can't be reached? With that a surely sizable chunk of store-money gone.
Russell Precious is insubstantial; Deirdrie Lang is girlishly coy; the presentation is what!
They are way beyond selling bananas and those who buy them - the store as such is not talked about - it's all about real-estate development.
So: THEY. Initially the Co-op didn't want to get into the real-estate development business - yes, they should stick to bananas! - but an outside-developer does not seem to be involved. Certainly was not introduced in this update. If there is no developer: the question why not presents itself in a big way. It couldn't be for the lack of trying to find one. So - with developers taking-on projects based on a researched market offering a probable and healthy financial return - why not here? The discovery of possible reasons is best left to the reader - but individual deductions surely all move to the same pivotal point.
In the absence of a developer - Russell Precious seems to be running it all single-handed. Clearly a tremendous undertaking: but this is a commercial project focused on profit - a must to get bank-support - so sympathy for him is misplaced. It's a job now - he's done it before.
The Co-op very suddenly finds itself as size-does-matter owners of a piece of property way beyond their needs - and means: the previous owner cleverly plays both ends towards each other - Extra/Co-op - and happily walks. Leaving Extra with nothing and the Co-op with a serious hangover - once the partying is done. And reality knocks!
Back in Council Chambers: after the presentation is over, and I - along with possibly most everybody there - feel thoroughly jerked around and time-wasted by the Co-op's obvious attitude of entitlement: Precious and Lang come-up with a stack of prepared folders and without explanation. Handing them to councilors to hand-out. After a minor shock zaps the captive audience - now what! - it seems clear that this is not belated material to support their already finished presentation - but just bits-and-(advertising)-pieces. Sales pitches for out there.
Councilors - by the nature of their jobs - are swamped with stuff to be read. Most of it is online. Doability. Whether they will read this here stuff - rather after the fact and they possibly not impressed by manner/content of the update: who knows!
Next item please!
The Co-op hasn't done itself much good with this one. Rather taking its (self)importance for granted ever since Deirdrie Lang - a year or so ago - announces the development of the center of the universe.
Yet for a while now the bloom has been off the rose: the Co-op can't continue relying indefinitely on its membership's cultish goodwill: dumb acceptance of anything co-oppy.
Plan B?
2 images: Avalisa
This is the mushroom treatment - Cormack feeds Council shit and keeps them in the dark. Council feeds the taxpayers shit and keeps them in the dark. The music goes round and round!!
ReplyDeleteHow does this have anything to do with Kevin Cormack, or city council keeping people in the dark?
DeleteI wasn't there. I don't know what council received. And I don't know what is common at this stage of the game. But this is just an update at a meeting where no voting takes place. They said their plan it to submit an application for a development permit shortly, and so I assume that there won't be any needs for a variance? And I'm guessing that at that stage of the game, the drawing will have to be considerably more detailed.
ReplyDeleteAs for the design... it's fairly typical of contemporary developments of this kind. Could it be better? Sure! Got an extra million or so burning a hole in your pocket that you'd like to donate? Because otherwise they'll have to pass any extravagant design flairs onto the buyers, and that may significantly reduce the pool of prospective customers for suites. Personally, I don't find the design pants-wettingly exciting, but I do like it, and I think it will add considerable texture to that end of the downtown. It's certainly a billion times better than what is there right now.
They've posted images and elevations of the development, held open houses, and are doing their best to answer questions. Is this out of line with how much developments of this nature evolved? I don't know. Do you? Have you followed other development processes in other communities that you can comment knowledgeably?
What more is it you want at this stage exactly? And are you not willing to be patient and see what the next steps will be? I remind you that a vast majority of Coop members voted for this action, so they have to let the process take its course. And if not, they should at least be sure they understand what the typical process for development is supposed to be before getting their knickers in a knot.
(Just curious, but do you engage in the comments, or do you prefer a one-way conversation?)
41 of 54 units are pre-select...what Co-Op wants...Co-Op gets.
ReplyDelete