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!
Thank-you for your efforts.
ReplyDeleteHeard the Mayor's soundbite,
"Hoodwinked".
Out of town unable to attend Annual General Meeting 2013.
ReplyDelete11,000 members of which 6,000 are considered active.
From the 6,000 potential how many attended?
Attendees how many were "NOT" Board members,Staff,Family of the Board/Staff,Special Interest...?
A fair and accurate representation of the Member/Owner,enabling business once again to be conducted accordingly.
First of all, what were they supposed to present? They've been slowly developing the project in a methodical sort of way that makes a lot of sense, and they've gotten quite far. They did not in fact present "a box" in July, but a rough rendering that still provided a solid sense of what the design will look like. See... not a 'basic box" as you have stated at all, but a fairly complex rendering that is relatively close to the latest design.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nelsonstar.com/business/216073211.html#.UelzIbt-h7M.facebook
That was certainly enough to give council a sense of what the plan was. And besides, it's not council's business to be interfering in their activities at this point. It's their job only when they apply for a re-zoning of the property. They haven't wasted council's time (ahem... unlike some people) without having concrete plans for what they intend. If Wahn appears to support the project to some degree, it's probably because as a planner he is supposed to, you know, plan stuff. It's not required of him to grimly frown upon projects like this, which turns a vacant parking lot and dead zone into a vibrant part of the downtown.
So... they've designed a building, sold the concept to 41+ potential buyers (who most likely understand at this point that the zoning changes could be denied), and will now approach council with a very concrete plan that is fully fleshed out. Council will the either decide to grant or deny them the very modest zoning requests on height and parking, which is very much in keeping with most contemporary planning guidelines.
There is no best practices for this sort of project in Nelson. It's something that's entirely new. That means smart people make it up as they go along as best they can, and everybody tries to have a reasonable conversation about how to move forward without pooping their diapers. And despite what you might think, the people behind this project are all quite intelligent, and doing something that will at worst, place a building that does indeed look a lot like buildings you see in other cities. (Much like Nelson's heritage buildings, which can be seen in other cities as well.)
This project is a good one for Nelson. It will give the coop considerably more space. It will bring living souls downtown, help change the downtown from the tomb it becomes at night, with the silence only broken by the yell of the occasional drunk.
You might not like it, but 41 people who bought into it did, and it is considerably better than the Extra Foods building that is stinking up that end of downtown now.
I've noticed that you don't really participate in the comments, preferring instead to pontificate, but should you decide to engage, I'd love to hear what you would have done, or what design you'd like to see.
I can't help but think that if you were around 100 years ago, and actually played a roll in the development of the city instead of endlessly going on about how stupid everybody is, that we'd still be trying to figure out where the blacksmith shop should be built.
I do appreciate comments - but don't do Anonymous
DeleteAs I mentioned elsewhere, I'm the commenter who was replying using the anonymous button if that helps.
ReplyDeleteWould love to hear what you think they should have, or should do.
In my opinion as things stand now, the "Nelson Commons" is simply big box housing for those who can afford it. My ideas for a true Nelson Commons would include:
ReplyDelete1. A true mixture of people: economic classes, cultures, races, sexual preferences, professions, etc. etc. This could be achieved partly by advertising the development as such. It would require a fair amount of social housing.
2. A meeting room/art gallery. There should be regular meetings, discussions, lectures etc. The room would always be open and exhibit various kinds of artwork, hopefully much of it from residents of the Commons.
3. Shops must be from socially conscious groups, artists, merchants, co-ops and the like. The renter would have to sign a letter of intent to that effect.
4. A mission statement speaking of our aims. Anyone seeking to live or run a business in the Commons would have to sign on to it.
These are very spur of the moment ideas. I am sure there are many other good ones out there. The important thing is to make the Commons someplace special, not simply another strata based solely on people's ability to pay. I was a founding member of the co-op and worked actively with the co-op in its early days. My life has moved to other pursuits, but I would be willing to put in time to try to achieve these sorts of aims.
Dick Vission
@Dick,
ReplyDeleteDo you really need to advertise for a mixture of people? It's Canada... it's kind of a given that all people are free to move in wherever they want. The fact that this is not stated on most condo sales materials has not stopped condos from being mixed.
And yes, the condos are going to be expensive, but who will pay for the people who can't afford them? Coop members? The other buyers? Taxpayers? Who decides who of this group gets to live there? Affordable housing is a huge, huge issue that Nelson is facing. It's not within the scope of the Coop's mandate to solve that problem for us, though they will contribute a "door fee" to help create affordable housing in Nelson of $1000 per unit. But aside from the few people on the affordable housing committe, how many locals are actually doing anything personally to help solve the crisis? Are people joining existing groups like the Rotary Club, or Lions, or Habitat for Humanity, or other service organizations that actually have a track record of helping build housing? Or are they just standing around yelling "somebody do something!" and expecting an absent provincial and federal government to just step in and deal with it? Because that's probably not going to happen.
There may very well be meeting rooms or demo kitchens planned at this point. Who knows. But as for it being a gallery space... why? We're a town of 10,000 and we already have Touchstones and Oxygen Art Centre, not to mention the Capitol Theatre, the Civic, Selkirk College and numerous private spaces as well. Why would the Coop get into the business of running something like that?
And as for socially conscious groups running businesses in the commercial spaces... what would they sell? And are they not already served by various galleries and private shops around town? Are they currently underrepresented or served? Is there a desperate need for this sort of thing?
I'm honestly not trying to be down on your ideas here. I just think those who are significantly disappointed by the coop's plan are failing to see that if you throw up a billion barriers to making this thing happening, it won't.
And then what you're left with is the lousy Extra Foods building and parking lot sitting there until some other developer comes along and doesn't do anything even close to Nelson-y as the Coop is planning.
All we have right now is a model, and a plan. I think it's a failure of vision to see what it can become, and to expect that all of these future plans have to be mapped out before somebody sticks a shovel in the ground.
As along time member I do not see this as Nelson Commons rather Planet Co-Op.
ReplyDeleteAs things stand now, the purpose of the proposed Nelson Commons is to make money for the co-op store. If we believe in co-operatives and co-operation, for god's sake (and the Co-op's sake), make the housing co-operative too.
ReplyDelete1/3 into community
ReplyDelete1/3 to the membership
1/3 into the co-operative
Speaking of monies.
Different structures and formulas available.
In Nelson would be nice to experience something less "corporate",we are not a chain or big box store,at least not yet.
The coop isn't going to get rich off of this. At best, they're going to be able to afford to build the store they want to build, and inject new life into a part of downtown Nelson. This is hardly a corporate agenda we're seeing here. All I really keep hearing from people who object are pie-in-the-sky wishes without any real world suggestions on how to make them so.
ReplyDeleteI believe in building more housing coops too. And I believe the coop board when they say they tried but couldn't figure out how to make it work. Again... given a choice between what we have now, which is a lousy 50's era building and parking lot vs having a vibrant new building that injects a large number of people living in the downtown... I pick the latter.
I don't trust a coop store which consistently fails to label prices on much of it's produce to do much of anything right. There's just something too lackadaisical about the whole operation for my tastes.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to observe that, a few months ago, the proposed budget for the Nelson Commons was $23 million.
ReplyDeletehttp://thetyee.ca/News/2013/07/31/Kootenay-Co-Op/?fb_action_ids=10151724761061630&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map={%2210151724761061630%22%3A278918442247700}&action_type_map={%2210151724761061630%22%3A%22og.recommends%22}&action_ref_map=[]
And, now, in the Nelson Star, the whole project is $27 million... So, I really wonder what the final price tag will be. Over $30 million? Over $35 million?
http://www.nelsonstar.com/news/221722641.html
Inept.
ReplyDelete