Dave Wahn, Prince Variant

Nelson Commons

When Nelson Commons "officially" put their request for a development permit plus variances on Council's table - part of the request-package is a significant reduction in parking-spaces: locked-in by bylaw. Reason given: Without this reduction the Co-op would need an additional 2 mill for a second underground parking-level. This - supposedly - would make the whole project unfeasible.

While this parking-variance actually is no variance at all: as in to be explored in Council here/now, then possibly approved here/now and only then kick-started into whatever action needs to be taken. After the official request! Not before! Council?

Dave Wahn, Manager of Development Services & Sustainability, Approving Officer or simply Prince Variant - ardent and proactive frontline supporter since day one - for quite some time and way before development permit and variances granted - works on tweaking bylaw requirements under the guise of a general redo of parking. But really just to - when the time comes - save the Co-op additional construction-costs for the additional parking-level.
To still show the required (or close) number of parking-spaces in the area he devises a scheme of Smallishtown genius: He makes existing parking-spaces narrower and shorter - thus creating more parking! Irregardless! Not only that: he gets the Co-op to promise bike-racks! How to park a car in a bike-rack is not addressed.
Council clucks with approval!

He explains: People will just have to drive smaller cars, and when you live downtown (like in the Nelson Commons!) you don't need a car so much anyway because you're already there there. Yeah!

Part of the development variance request is notifying all those with residential property/a business within a radius of 60 meters for input on the proposed project, and this is how Prince Variant handles that one:
A businessman within the radius tells me that everybody's input will be due at City Hall the following day. Deadline. He also knows that Prince Variant's parking-redo is finished - thus could be made available to those within the radius - all of Nelson really! - for input. BUT! The redo is kept from them for now so that the neighborhood won't get too vocal about possible parking-issues before a surely already set-for-approval parking-variance request. There could be no other reason, and this businessman is very upset with Prince Variant.

 

Nelson Landing

There are interesting parallels between both projects: information is  withheld by Staff - meaning Dave Wahn - to facilitate a special-interest group. The Nelson public not special enough!
According to Erica Konrad in her comment on Nelson residents take development to the streets, Nelson Star, 1 March, 2014, Staff suggests to Council granting variance requests of the Nelson Landing developer because there have been no letters to City Hall from the public by Friday before Monday's Council meeting. Nimbly sidestepping the fact that Staff hasn't informed the general public about this all-Nelson issue; conveniently not calling this item on the City's agenda-items webpage by its name - Nelson Landing - but by its thus far non-existent street address; a Regular Council Meeting not being open for public input.


Well-planned, Prince Variant!





Images: Takashi Kitajima