(Co-)Operators

Below find material presented to the Committee Of The Whole (COW), Sep. 30. There are minor additions/changes; as individual presenter I only have 5 minutes to state my case to a City Council with a short attention-span thus even shorter temper. Once a month. Tight one!
Following that are some telling bits from the Kootenay Co-op's Annual General Meeting (AGM), Sep. 25.

Much Food For Thought! Read On! 

The Vision
When the Co-op buys the Extra-property for their new store - developing it seems like a two-pronged winner. With 1. the Co-op's general manager intending to turn this space into a regional cultural magnet, and 2. the City's Official Community Plan (OCP) here possibly finding its hub from which further development would radiate outward. Organically - so to speak. Calling the project the Nelson Commons seems appropriate.
Then - for the lack of an interested and/or interesting developer - the Co-op decides to go the project alone. And this is precisely where the Nelson Commons turns from a many-possibilities mindscape into only the name of a much simpler one-item focus. An apartment-block! With Russell Precious saying - and I quote: Actualizing things....almost always requires a certain degree of sacrifice - compared to what one can envision. Very true - except what is sacrificed here is not to a certain degree but completely. Completely draining all blood from this vision!

The Box
First renderings are a basic box only - colorless-generic - with a supermarket on the bottom. Leaving the general manager now with absolutely nothing to say or show during the Co-op's update in the July COW. Neither Commons-aspects nor the store are dealt with. The condo-box only - by the project-manager. 

Of concern here must be - seeing they still have no definitive plans to present in the July quote-update-unqote: when, with what and on what grounds did the Co-op "apply" initially, and by whom has their "application" been moved along since even before July? 
If it has been Dave Wahn of the City's Development Services: he has been unabashedly in favor of the project since Day One! And because he is also in direct official approval-mode for this project - he clearly is in eager conflict of interests!

The Doers
Over time it has become clear that the project is not Co-op any longer: volunteers make room for paid insiders, and Co-op members as a whole are neither kept informed nor asked for input on fundamental changes. Co-operation no longer an issue.

The Presumption
What with the Co-op's local sacred-cow status and Nelson Commons having a comfy colonial ring: the ignorant public - including Co-oppers - have not asked questions, while the whole thing has been run on a self-glorifying cushion of entitlement. To the point of the earlier mentioned update only an update insofar as it sort-of promises this-and-that for later - once definitive renderings of the building become available. No updating documentation here at all - aside from the same early dreary drawings. It seems the project manager sees no problem in this. Neither does Council! Entitlement - indeed!

The Decision
Very recently newish plans are officially supplied to the City. For a cookie-cutter, high-end and high-maintenance condo-block: at least 4 1/2 pricey floors high; a supermarket downstairs; insufficient thus domino-effect parking; plans for the earlier promised green space - again - a promise for later; and no Nelson Commons. That's it!

The Reason
The Co-op turns suburban condo-developer/realtor. Putting this unnecessarily large and too hastily bought piece of property to most profit-promising use! With the Co-op Board - legally responsible for financial difficulties - protecting themselves by heading straight for the till: condos. Hardly on creative, community-building, higher moral ground!

The Consequence
So - many locals - understandably - have felt manipulated since this never honestly explained switch to - Villa Kelowna. And though still wanting to see a Nelson-Commons-as-such succeed - are impatient with and distrustful of management's mood-swings. What with everything proclaimed now a pimped-up sales-pitch.
By approving this project-as-is the city would erase for good the OCP's downtown-vision. As visual reality not a matter of contemporary vs. heritage - but a totally predictable condo-block, taking up way too much space in the very heart of Nelson. Setting a course for institutionalized mediocrity. From mixed use to mixed blessings.

 

The Reality

There may be those who think this project too big and too far into the game to fail. Not so! Those in charge will not pull out if their plan is rejected: they must make something happen on the property - bleeding Co-op members' funds in a big way. After all, if 80% of the condos are not pre-sold - thus condos a no-go for the banks - there will have to be a Plan B anyway: the store! Remember the store?

So let them retrace their steps in relation to Nelson - not just its money. Looking at the significant contribution they could make by tapping into overall co-operative integrity - instead of sacrificing it for debt-relief.

I urge Council to let these neophyte developers re-evaluate - with a clear City-directive regarding central Nelson! As Nina Simone would say: that'll learn ya!

One hopes (too much?): Council realizing - though generally tired, not wanting to be there and smiles even on non-threatening feel-good issues by now only so much instant-coffee - that this project will determine no less than their legacy.

End of COW-presentation

 

The Co-op AGM, Sep. 25

Money .....

In a smarmy postal mailing to all suddenly important again members, the Co-op wants to quickly pull together 1.5 mill in cash through unsecured loans from them. Due in 7 years but redeemable in 5. For a lesser return though. So 7 it may have to be - and when a member asks the Board director-in-the-know how the Co-op's interest-rates compare to those of banks - he is clueless. These funds presumably are to buy fixtures for the store.

"All suddenly important again" because they obviously weren't in major decision-making-processes. Quoting management: Everyone is excited about living in downtown Nelson! Meaning: in these condos. Yet the Nelson Star, Sep. 27, shows an overwhelming majority of opinions loudly against the building-as-is. And only few of those for heritage-reasons.

 

  

..... and why worry about it?

The loans. No matter what the spin here: in case of financial difficulties with the overall condo-thing, official lenders - like banks - will have priority in getting their money back, with members having to line-up behind them for their store-loans.

Then - yet another director points out the great advantage of in addition investing in a condo: people living in the building will use their cars less!

Right!

Anyway - this is the first time in the Co-op's not-so-recent history that they attempt to directly reach out to each individual member. Money - it makes people do the darndest things!

  

 

   

Nelson Towed!

There is loud alarm among business/property owners and tenants - those having to be considered/consulted within the physical parameters of the proposed Co-op project. I believe the radius is 100 meters.

Alarm!
1.
Timing of City Hall's position on parking - curiously! prepared/released BEFORE due consideration of the Co-op development with its unquestionable major ramifications on downtown-parking.
Although Dave Wahn, the City's Manager of Development Services & Sustainability, Approving Officer - has all along proactively known of this development in the pipeline. Thus ought to be aware of probable problems that's your job Mr. Wahn! So what's going on here?
2.
Said business/property-owners and tenants - again curiously! - having to provide their input on this project BEFORE they have seen this parking-paper. The plot thickens!
3.
Additional far-reaching parking-problem tentacles the project - if approved as proposed - will grow and keep in place for the above-mentioned group ad infinitum.

1a.
All (but particularly Mr. Wahn must) clearly see that actualizing the Co-op project-as-presented will have spiraling out of control impact on parking in Nelson's downtown. What with the Extra parking-lot having contributed greatly to availability of parking for decades - look at it now! - and the Co-op's plan to now cut this parking-space by 60%.

Possibly even more: to accommodate a shopping-cart isle and monster-trucks delivering to the Co-op Supermarket via the back-alley from Hendryx. Having to disaster-inviting maneuver the close south/east corner of the building-as-planned - where now there isn't one. Even with extra Extra-space this was always difficult. Hendryx will certainly be blocked for much longer than previous long periods of time during such maneuvers - with truck-drivers - while turning - having to avoid damage to cars parked on Hendryx, the building and cars parked in the lot - thus needing more space.

2a.
Downsizing the parking-lot will mean parking spilling over into whatever little available off-property space there is. With those who will find paying a daily parking-fine a better deal than any other option - once they have a spot relatively close by. Lucky!

3a.
With spillage guaranteed: where - for instance - will patients of the Nelson Medical Clinic park? Those who have mobility-issues - thus depend on parking close to entrances: Vernon/Hendryx. Making parking-spaces smaller there to gain more will not work - many patients need extra space to get out of/into cars.

 

Alarm!!

All together: Where - at any given time - will Co-op customers; customers of other stores in the building; visitors of condo-owners; patients across the street; area-customers/owners/tenants/employees; general downtown-public park?

Well - for a bit more breathing-space - the Co-op will probably sooner or later give-up the south/west-Baker area of the now-parking-lot. Originally intended to become a green space - as part of the Nelson Commons. But what with the Commons-vision unceremoniously and quietly dumped and no plan for a green space submitted to the City with the overall development-plans...... connect the dots. Yet even if parking is expanded into there - it will not accommodate parking-needs sufficiently.

 

      
Alarm!!!
Mr. Wahn's desultory explanation to a concerned businessman within the radius that Co-op-employees will receive bus-vouchers and the public will just have to start driving smaller cars what problem I don't see a problem is disingenuous at best - glaringly calling in question his role in this. And he sounds as if approval of the project is a done deal! Another question - this to the Co-op: Will costs of bus-vouchers up the store's prices? 
Regardless - not everybody lives with easy access to buses; bus-schedules won't be adjusted to employees' shifts. And it is doubtful that the size-does-matter crowd thus car-manufacturers will switch to small cars just to accommodate Smallishtown's smallish thinking.
Last year, our Mr. Wahn - already in blatant no-matter-what support of the project - told Co-op members that the City could build a bridge for Extra-customers from City Hall to the box-store. Doable before the closing of Extra. Within a couple of months.

By now he has prompted many to wonder whether he has a personal agenda here - being obtuse deliberately. Or what! Anyway - we'd better fasten our seat-belts: we're in for a bumpy ride towards what's next with him as the City's designated driver!

Alarm!!!!
The thought that he - involved in devising the Official Community Plan (OPC) - may now officially approve this Co-op project: without the Nelson-Commons aspect; contrary to the OPC; this condo/store presence-as-planned clearly bound to make a negative far-reaching/lasting impact - is disconcerting.

 





Mayor Dooley says This (OPC) is true community-building figuratively and literally. Well, the plan may be, Mr. Mayor - disregard for its downtown-vision - and due process - is not!




Sardine image: H. Armstrong Roberts