This follows post
No news is bad news. Probably. (1. of 2)
immediately below.
The co-op is one of Nelson's biggest, oldest, and most important institutions. It has thousands of members. And now that it's embarking on Nelson Commons, a massive project that will change the face of downtown, its profile has never been higher.
EDITORIAL: A conundrum over the co-op
Nelson Star, May 15, 2015
These 3 sentences alone beg the question: so why has the Star made no effort to actually engage with these thousands of (so-called owner-)members - instead of passively (and conveniently) determining their (dis)interest by the number of comments (not) posted to this editorial and its single article on recent changes at the Co-op? And leaving it (them!) at that.
Commenting - incidentally - only possible for Facebook subscribers!
That said - on to the actual point of this post: ...Nelson Commons, a massive project that will change the face of downtown... This mantra frequently heard and never substantiated!
Massive Reality
The project is only massive in relation to other construction downtown: none! - and the marketing-hype created from necessity by the Co-op Board once it realized that Co-oppers weren't snapping-up these condos and commercial spaces as eagerly as expected. Another story!
Not now that it's embarking: nonsense! - everybody has known of this in the making for several years - with hype building over time! While not buying a condo - many eventually bought into this massive hype as of actual importance to Nelson.
As did the Star!
So when all is said and done and said again again in so/too many words - what will this face-change actually look like?
We will have one supermarket in place of another in the same location. Nothing new in that. Except that this one will have less parking and several floors of condos above it - with the building as a whole totally unremarkable aesthetically. Not really there there beyond physical bulk.
An exceptional design does not automatically mean too costly. It comes from an exceptional vision of the client and exceptional creativity of the architect. Totally missing here: along this organic food-chain.
And as neither condos nor commercial spaces are anywhere near sold-out (possibly won't be) - traffic generated by the building - aside from that of the supermarket - will be unremarkable as well. Also - as there may be vacant investment-properties/vacation-rentals - why would the overall negligible number actually living there spend their time cruising Baker without a purpose? Or even do their weekly grocery-runs downstairs? After all - even Co-op employees shop at Save-On and Safeway.
A larger store does not automatically mean more customers. At first there will be curious non-believers, but soon customer-traffic will be back to the current normal. A small change: what is sometimes crammed now will be less so with more space for everybody to swing and leave their shopping-carts. In miles of aisles of organic taco-chips.
Because of the previous supermarket in that location: downtown traffic-patterns won't be totally new.
About the much-touted green space in the south-west corner of the parking-lot. During summer too hot for getting comfy. During winter: not large to begin with - it will be covered by huge piles of dirty snow. As that corner was during Extra days. Because after a snow-fall the lot needs to be cleared quickly so that parking-flow won't be impeded. For the Co-op even more critical: a smaller lot!
And that's it wakey-wakey! Really - what else could there be as a change of downtown's face?
Talk by the previous City Council of density this and mixed-use that as the new way to go was never more than just another feel-good attempt to make Nelson appear like one of the big boys.
These concepts reasonably apply in developments of larger urban centers - but nobody comes to Nelson to live in a dense cluster downtown, with nowhere safe for their children to play yet. As for mixed-use: most stores downtown have had an office or apartment(s) above since Nelson's Day 1.
Massive Fantasy
For a moment - in the heady days just after the purchase of this property - there was a possibility that a project there actually could change the face of downtown: Deirdrie Lang talking about this becoming the cultural center of Nelson, even the wider area. With a new Co-op store part of it.
Not only of great economic significance to Nelson but also as a tourist-magnet.
As an example - this blog earlier brought-up the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain: its initially seemingly incongruous construction turning a nondescript city into a cultural, cosmopolitan hub at great immediate economic benefit. And they keep on coming!
Stepping into the new library (in Halifax NS) is like stepping into the future: bright, modern and exciting with Escher-like stairs criss-crossing the interior and floor-to-ceiling windows on all sides, two cafes, couches and study nooks, a maker-space, recording-studio, amphitheatre, multi-media spaces, kids' play-areas, a sun-filled baby-room, multi-purpose rooms, all made of glass and light, and aside from borrowing books, you can borrow games - board and computer - and play either of them right there. All it lacked was showers.
The city anticipated 900.000 visits in the first year, and they have had more than a million in the first 3 months, plus usership of all other smaller, older libraries in town has sky-rocketed, as people remember what gifts libraries are. The library is an exceptional, public, democratic space and worthy addition to the commons.
COLUMN: Toronto and Halifax provide inspiration
Nelson Star, Jun 10, 2015
Anna Purcell (City Councillor)
A similar vision for the Extra location - on a smaller scale but exceptional nonetheless - would have put Nelson on the map big-time. Funding could have come in part from the outside - co-operatively.
Problems now with selling condos/commercial spaces are the direct result of the Board's ego-driven simplistic assumption: if we build it - they will come. "They" being glutenfree, treehugging Co-oppers. The decision away from exceptional leap into creativity to pedestrian money-making scheme had to be a fumble! As in a strictly commercial real-estate development by a Board of dilettanti during dodgy economic times.
And with that: there goes the possible heart of Nelson; there goes cultural significance; there goes the tourist-destination.
This is not to say that we can't/won't have a place like it in the future! Nelson needs it: one big splash instead of many droplets!
Once finished - Nelson Commons for a while will be viewed as our missed opportunity. With focus then back on the store: still referred to as The Co-op. A supermarket. Faceless.
Typography: Thomas Quinn
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