Nelson: Plop-Art Plopping (Part 2)

Here continuing from Nelson: Plop-Art Plopping (Part 1): 2 posts down.

Plop-art - the term not an invention of mine though I wish it were - described by Wikipedia: Plop-art is a pejorative slang term for public art... made for parks and other venues. The term connotes that the work is unattractive or inappropriate to the surroundings - that is, it has been thoughtlessly "plopped" where it lies.
Several currents or movements in contemporary art, such as environmental sculpture, site-specific art and land art counterpose themselves to "plop-art"...
There's more - but this is the gist, I don't want to overwhelm. I also don't want to get into art vs. artsy (though tempted): plopping is of the essence. So I'll go with art. For now.

All images are of Andy Goldsworthy's art: just ideas how Nelson possibly could simply and cleanly connect with its own setting - instead of aspiring to be Never-Neverland-Downtown.

The Art Squad
Compulsive-obsessive really: Nelson has been densely, most thoughtlessly and highly inappropriately plopping - that's as far as public art here goes, may ever go - and official ploppers: the Cultural Development Committee (CDC), with money to burn and a professional designer in its motley crew at least he should know better - are itching to next get their hands (or gently used sculptures) on the proposed Hall St. redo and the Co-op's Villa Kelowna parking-lot.
The Co-op will love being plopped on all over the more the better: to put a bit of a cultural sheen on this project - after having unceremoniously morphed from regional cultural Mecca into unassisted-condo-living functional. Close one! Redemption does await!
Plop!

The Plop-Art Walk
From Baker into Railtown - starting at Hall. With the Baker "amenities" the most egregious examples of local plop-art: disregarding purpose, context and spatial relationships. No vision. Instead posing with self-glorifying statements anyplace.
There are 5 sculptures altogether in a suffocatingly small area - 4 on Baker and 1 on Ward. Giving the CDC some credit: the one on Ward sort-of works - next to Touchstones there is context; placed in a corner it could work spatially - if it weren't hemmed-in by a distractingly loud-clunky bench on a serious slant. The 4 on Baker are total placement disasters.
Plopped!
Solution:
Think!

The Baker/Hall Bench Bench
There's a bit of wall, a tree, a waste-bin - very large in relation to the size of the space - plus a basic bench. And a faux bronze sculpture of 2 people sitting side-by-side on/forming a fantasy-bench. The idea not originated here - this smaller bench-sculpture is awkwardly placed next to the real bench: possible magic choked-off by forced comparison.
Plopped!
Solution:
While it can only work if placed by itself - say under a tree as a matter-of-fact - and no tactile human reality anywhere near.

The Baker/Ward-East Amenity
A tiny-dingy deadzone - really just a dent on the grey sidewalk: delineated by a bit of grey wall; a small, empty triangular grey flower-bed. Containing a grey-black waste-bin too large for the space; 2 black/white No Smoking signs; a grey bench in need of a lively paint-job - and a sculpture straining against HERE being screwed to a temporary base screwed to the ground.
Plopped!
Solution:
Remove this sculpture - it needs more space, a more conscious space of its own!

The Baker/Ward-West Amenities
Both amenities are long and narrow: simplistically placing a sculpture in the center not only cuts the space in half - making it useless for any previously announced-as-being-planned activities - sculptures clearly are not an integral part of the space: they look/feel temporary. The woman-cello shape of one of them has been done before and before. Both sculptures screwed down for easy removal on clunky one-size-fits-all concrete bases. Adding to awkwardness in placement: restaurants using much of the amenities' space during warm season - then having sculptures very much in-your-face warts-and-all - no contemplating here! And indeed - being on Baker almost daily - I have never seen anyone stop and do that - contemplate them.
And they are temporary: to be swapped for new ones every so often - all actually re-runs from the Castlegar Sculpture Walk. The rationale here that almost fresh batches guaranteed on loan are ever so convenient, an ever such lovely change and cheaper-by-the-dozen - instead of having to be bought individually. What a deal!
Plop-Plopped!
Solution:
Place 1 sculpture on the raised space under 1 of the trees - those at either end of amenities - facing half-amenity/half-sidewalk. Only 1 - not under both trees just because there are 2! This would give sculptures more of an appropriate and interesting space - their own - particularly with the base sunk into the ground; it would allow for easier viewing of sculptures with different proportions. And it would free the amenity-spaces for possibilities - some breathing-room if nothing else.

The Ikea Shower-Curtains
To curtain-off the gas-station lot at Baker/Fall. Although nothing offensive here: a potentially interesting terraced space - part earth/part concrete; some weeds/some wildflowers what's the difference; fauna and colors quite within Nelson's palette; clean - no garbage. BUT!
The CDC decides to block-off this visually-offensive-to-its-artistic-sensitivities urban blight. It commissions an artiste to design the what we have now forced on our senses silliness of endless Ikea shower-curtains along 2 sides. Inappropriate and how long can they-as-are possibly last!
The lot previously unobtrusive - now blaring at one! Drawing attention to what's behind: clearly still visible through the curtains, the uncurtained left side and back of the lot so what's the point! The gate on Fall now is usually open wide: the usual 3 cars parked inside - now one can actually walk in!
Plopped!
Solution 1:
No parking - keep gate closed! Put basic flower-boxes along the inside of the fence all around and seed morning-glories. After a modicum of initial attention - like watering - robust and totally self-sufficient, colorful, quick climbers - in no time covering the cyclone-fence profusely and self-seeding year after year. Art alive!
Solution 2:
No parking - keep gate closed! Construct a large piece of environmental sculpture, site-specific/land art - an installation - in the center of the lot. And let it live and die on its own!
Solution 3:
No parking - keep gate closed! Basic rule: If you can't disappear it - emphasize it! So dump a few truck-loads of earth, spread it around haphazardly and just as haphazardly strew wildflowerish Johnny Appleseeds! A field of flowers downtown! Living art!

There might be a combination of any 2 or all the above. All 3 solutions guaranteeing immeasurably high return - while low-cost/maintenance.

The Not There There Banners
These vertical banners initially were to welcome visitors to Nelson. Suspended from lamp-posts at all 4 corners of the Baker/Highway intersection - visible from all 4 directions. What's simple enough - make them easily visible from 4 directions; make their contents easily identifiable - has been completely lost in CDC-procedural. And thoughtlessness. 
What with 4-way stop-signs - thus all drivers' attention having to be on who moves next - the banners are way too small for the too difficult to make out quickly content - except for the ones saying Nelson. Busy-tiny design and lack of color-contrast.
And their placement is bizarre. 
Plopped!
Solution: 
For all to be visible from all 4 directions they reasonably must face drivers straight-on - on both sides in the driving-direction: 2 double-sided banners attached to 1 lamp-post in a right angle to each other. Simple! But here they aren't: in 2s attached obliquely and side-by-side - they essentially aren't there there for/from any direction! No welcome to Nelson!

 

The Inside-Out Bridge
Once having made it past the intersection, one may cross the Baker/Cottonwood-Falls Bridge. The design of its hand-rails could be fun: waves of industrial metal-wheels attached to industrial metal-mesh. The problem here: these waves are not facing inward: the bridge - but outward: the creek. So they are only indistinctly visible through the mesh. The reason given after the fact: there's a rule-bylaw-whatever which forbids these wheel-waves facing inward. True or not - the obvious question presenting itself: CDC - Hello?!?
Plopped!
Solution:
Think!

The Restive Bench
Once across the same intersection on its left side and before the bridge: a path off to the left - along Cottonwood Creek - with a prodigious amount of plop-plop-plopping in short order.
The bench: 2 massive wooden beams with splintery cracks - held together with industrial-strength-but-obviously-not metal-bands. The back: some uncomfortable-to-lean-against metal-work depicting jumping fish. Seat and back thoughtlessly out of sync.
The bench is placed on a sliver of open ground between path and creek. The view is of some foliage and thank heaven for that; a bit of creek down below; lots of car/truck-traffic on the other side; A3 Plumbers, Nelson Farmers' Supply, Benjamin Moore and - A & W! And much more of that once all foliage is gone!
Plopped!
Solution:
Think!                                                               

The No-Fish-Today! Billboard

A couple of meters from the bench - way too close: by intention an informative plaque - in execution an overboard billboard. About no salmon in the creek and what if - framed in heavy-duty giant more-jumping-fish metal-work. On 2 stubby metal-posts screwed to a concrete base - nothing graceful in any of it. Form-Over-Content 101.

Fish are jumpin' - elsewhere!

Plopped!

Solution:

Think!

The QR

Another few meters down the path: a large sculpture, consisting of 2 vertical rusty about a meter in diameter metal-pipe pieces one on top of the other a square cut-out here a square cut-out there the whole thing topped with an irregular Roman tonsure of same-metal bits.

By its maker mysteriously called QR - the only mystery in this - actually bought by the CDC for 6000 I believe it was smackers. QR - WTF!

Plopped!

Solution:

Some swooshy day-glow tagging to give it life!

This got to be rather longer than I expected but there you have it: a list of the CDC's sometimes not so much thoughtless but mindless as in not mindful accomplishments - all inappropriate - over about a year. To what end: there is no - can't be - economic benefit without a clear vision then game-plan. The CDC obviously has neither. It does have ample tax-payered funding though.

An exploration of the CDC-as-is - shorter than this Part 2 and Part 1 - coming-up in Nelson: Plop-Art Plopping (Part 3).

                                                                                      Plop!
Enough already...


                                      
                                                    
                                           Plop!

                                ... of with from the CDC!




                                                       

                                                             Plop! Plop! Plop!



All images of Andy Goldsworthy's work
 

The Villa Kelowna Reality Show!

Nudging me in the early morning hours of my Park ritual - on one cup of instant, milk and sugar: highlights of the foregone-conclusion approval-performance in Council.

Heeere's Dave!
The necessary 190 parking-spaces are just like that whittled down to 100 and in individual size too by Dave Wahn, City Master Organizer. Prior to the Council presentation. Kapow - one variance down! Two to go - pow, pow! Done!
Reasoning away the whittling with: the Co-op will supply bus-vouchers to employees, and people will just have to start driving smaller cars. During this approval-charade - according to the Star - voicing another gem: When you live downtown, you don't need a car - you're already where you need to be. 
Let's give our Dave a big hand! He already is where he is!

And not the first either - a director of the Co-op Board says in their recent AGM: an advantage of living in Villa Kelowna (don't you just love that name!) will be not having to use one's car so much. 
A well-deserved hand for our Co-op!

All that topped by the Co-op's feel-good gesture: increasing bike-storage and adding a dedicated (sic) longterm parking-space for a Kootenay Carshare vehicle will compensate for the loss of parking spaces. 
Our Dave now working on fitting a car into a bike-rack. If anyone can - it's our Dave! Let's hear it for our Dave!

Heeere's Russell!
And Russell Precious runs a bit of emotional blackmail with the project not feasible financially if the Co-op had to come up with an additional 2 mill for another underground parking-level. (We certainly wouldn't want that - seeing that the ground has been declared contaminated in the area, and who knows what lurks still deeper down...!). About feasible: the whole thing never was from the beginning. That's why the condos and for no other reason! So now - feasibly between 25 and 27 mill - they're talking about with an additional 2 mill the project not being feasible any longer? Not to forget - as repeatedly mentioned here before - this project being feasible or not means absolutely nothing to any of us (including even basic Co-op members) except the Co-op's decision-makers: they got themselves into this and now must put something there - even if it's not condos and heaven forbid cheaper. Like a store! 
A warm round of applause for their Russell!

Heeere's Donna!
And Donna Macdonald, Mayor-Presumptive - as usual puts her only-me-stamp on things. Again according to the Star: The only place for them to add more parking without added cost would be on top of that beautiful green space. A little more emotional blackmail here: THAT BEAUTIFUL green space implies she comes from personal knowledge of definitive factual info - THAT beautiful green plan. How would she alone know what nobody else seems to? Right now it's all parking-lot, and even if: how beautiful and green - most of all practical-useable - will it be during most of the year? Particularly during winter when snow - in the parking-lot then next to it - has to be pushed/piled somewhere close RIGHT NOW: like RIGHT THERE! Because otherwise a whole lot of parking-lot will be buried under snow for possibly months.
Cheers for our Donna!

Heeere's The Tourist!
Parking-overflow at Villa Kelowna will spill farther into the downtown-core, making current difficulties even more current and more difficult.
Seeing that Nelson's future is tied to the cultural tourist (remember the costly cultural-tourist paper - and nothing?) and this tourist finding finding parking unpleasant at best already: if there ever should be more of him in the future - while even less parking than now! - won't he just keep on driving?
Let's wave good-bye to our could-have-been tourist!

Heeere's The Public!
Nelson Star, Oct. 4, opinion poll:
Do you like the proposed look of Nelson Commons?
Yes - 33 votes (33%)
No - 68 votes (67%)
Let's hear it from our voices!

Heeere's City Hall!
Anyway - the taylor-made pro-condo parking-variance is approved without a hitch - as is the project as a whole - by the mayor and his council of the wise - who all have any-time-any-length-of-time free parking in acres of privilege behind City Hall. Our Dave, too.
A round of applause for our administration! Well done! Well done!

It never fails to astound how narrow City Hall's focus is, but then:

Heeere's Smallishtown!




All images: Avalisa     

Nelson: Plop-Art Plopping! (Part 1)

How It's Done!
When Bilbao, Basque Country (Spain) - not known for much and not really a must-see on most tourists' itinerary - decides to rejuvenate, reinvent itself, it starts on/with some dilapidated, largely bygone river-front property.
And puts a very high-brow, nowhere near the local mindset and very expensive museum there. The Guggenheim. Breathtakingly audacious in design by Frank Gehry, a Canadian-American way-out-of-the-box architect: definitely not safe! - and simply unthinkable in that location in that city - it is an immediate hit, quickly to be called one of the world's best pieces of modern architecture just like that!

 

Opening in 1997, it attracts close to 4 million visitors from all over the globe in its first 3 years - generating about 500 million euros in museum-connected transactions. This - with hotels, restaurants, shops, transportation and other tourism-related services - translates into roughly 100 million euros in taxes. Which more than cover construction-costs of the museum. In 3 years!

Totally blown away by what this single building does for the city - individuals there step-up with: I want some of it - and I CAN make it happen! Bilbao as a whole blossoms.

And this process has become known internationally as the Bilbao-effect.

                                                                    

How It Could Be Done!

Now imagine we were doing something like that in Nelson - smaller all-around but with similar intent. And audacious!

And that goes like this: When the Co-op buys the Extra-property - for a little while it floats a multifacet vision for this centrally located piece of also bygone - to possibly inject much-needed life-force into Nelson and area. This vision getting many people hooked.

The property is bought too hastily - based on looking-for-a-larger-space-and-not-finding-it fatigue. It is too large and too expensive for practical purposes: only a roomier store. The life-force swoon promptly quashed, Sunday morning coming down: how to pay for the lot! Fear of this so strong that pursuing/developing the vision: starting with the store and adding component after component over time - is not an option. Big-time debt-relief becomes the sole motivator. And big-time money must roll in immediately - the store alone won't do that!

So instead of co-opping with the membership and City Hall over this possible benefit-for-all vision - it is unilaterally dropped by management and replaced with a single condo-block: totally without forward-propelling Nelson-context, devoid of individuality, little aesthetic value but with loudly echoing dissonance locally. 

And absolutely no consequence to the tourism-dollar.

 

In a parallel reality, there's City Hall with its unarticulated low-voltage desire to be bigger and better - but not knowing how. Usually not coming from Nelson's economic need. If coming at all. And then not based on over time accumulated - and promptly disregarded - expensive outside-consultant-produced remedies for what may ail or be missing. 

One thing though clear to City Hall, even on its own - generally a plodding, insensitive and uncreative lot: this property's location as the potential heart of Nelson. In an odd twist-maybe-not - because of a lack of creativity finding nothing with which to substantiate its own existence - aside from the winter-angle - the City consistently flogs creativity-as-such in bits and pieces as the big Nelson-thing. Only. Go figure! 

These bits and pieces only the overall topic of Part 2, following shortly and next.

So there could have been a marriage made in heaven: The supposedly somewhat more aware Co-op with location-location-location, a vague vision and needing someone to have its back in actualizing it. Coupling with the City - looking for a similar vision to manifest thus get itself on the map in a big way.

Both: at the heart of the matter.

How It Should Be Done!

This is not to compare Nelson to Bilbao - but the dynamics could be the same: here creating an exceptionally attractive multifunctional complex - not only to bring locals together - morning to late evening - but tourists to Nelson as a destination, not just a stop-over. This stimulating locals' aspirations: growth thus more money - investment and taxes - entering the local economy. Nelson getting there!

 

How It's Not Done!

But the Co-op - now frightened by real-estate-development vagaries of its own making and stuck down the rabbit-hole - is not ready to talk to anyone but itself - not even those with similar interests.

And Council - never known as a group of individual voices to begin with and now fitfully snoozing towards the next election - have been in a holding-pattern on this opportunity and totally ready to sign-off on the condo-thing - warts and all - when given the signal.

Clearly - Nelson is not ready for its Gehry-moment. Still not realizing a basic fact: To make money - you spend money first! Called investing in your future.

While with Co-op and City acknowledging need, followed by willingness and inspiration - a confluence could have presented Nelson with its own Bilbao-effect. 

Could have would have.

Now probably never will!

Part 2 - getting down to plop-art plopping - will give an overview, with examples of City Hall - its Cultural Development Committee in charge of absolutely everything - in an ungainly shamble towards Nelson's future whatever.

Without a heart!

To be continued

All images are of Frank Gehry's work  

Granite Manor - Let 'em Walk!

Seniors living in Granite Manor bring an issue to the Committee Of The Whole (COW), Sep. 30, which drives home several points. Among them: seniors haven't been part of this Whole, and Councilor Macdonald - she of the Regional Transit Committee having helped fashion the BC Transit area-redo - what with seemingly strategizing mayoral ambitions has blown it big-time oops!

And so expressed by several of these seniors in the hallway, after their presentation.

The Issue
As part of refashioning, the bus-stop at/for Granite Manor was cancelled unannounced to them - after this bus-service of many years. A big one for most tenants of the Manor - many in their 80s, 90s: used to moving about freely and independently - many with and in spite of particular age-related issues. Getting out and anywhere for any reason! Theirs! Just like Donna Macdonald - but without a car. Which one elderly tenant gave up because of the bus-stop there and that getting her about sufficiently.

Different bus-lines - including Handy Dart - and other modes of transportation are not an option: suddenly curtailing their autonomy and expensive.

and communicating it
So they present a petition with 157 signatures to Council, and several make a clear and convincing case. Even suggesting an alternative stop at the Morgan St. stop-sign.

to Council
Who go into warm-fuzzy clucking-mode, and Councilor Macdonald explains that routes will not be changed again for at least a year, so that those behind it all can find out what works and doesn't. A year! Right! Those behind it all led by a new guy - new in this particular position but oh no not in this kind of work he is very experienced. So what (she and) the Transit folk could possibly look at is a Dart subscription-service on specific (not all!) days at specific (not all!) times: with these residents signing-up in certain slots (what about more demand than seats and lining-up and dignity?). Macdonald thinks this a helpful idea because it allows subscribers to arrange  their doctor's appointments and stuff around subscription-days and subscription-times. Won't their doctors and other contacts just love that!

and (very soon also) old Macdonald
She clearly is not yet cognizant of seniors' needs - particularly that of having to retain autonomy as long as possible: the motivating, energizing factor. Neither was she paying attention to bus-users in the local redo. Ring a bell? Just the big picture please - hold the small stuff!
But now she promises these seniors (tax-payers and soon voters oops again hadn't thought of that!): the new Transit guy will be in town and go talk to them. Specifically.

 




KICK BUTT NOW!!!






Image: Simon Cook

(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