Nelson city council has given final approval to a re-zoning of land for Phase 2 of the Nelson Landing development.
Nelson Landing is a mixed commercial-residential development of 265 housing units proposed by Storm Mountain Development Corporation on the old Kootenay Forest Products site on the shore of Kootenay Lake.
Phase 1 of the development, which will consist of eight housing units to be priced at around $400,000 is currently beginning construction. That portion of the project did not need its land rezoned.
Phase 2, rezoned by council on Monday, would allow up to 257 more units up the lake toward Red Sands Beach, as well as a public marina, all phased in over ten years as part of a development agreement with the city. If 70 housing units have been built by then, the phase-in period will be extended to 20 years.
The waterfront pathway in front of Nelson Landing will cross the flat ground in the orange fencing. All photos by Bill Metcalfe
The details of the re-zoning as presented to council this week are attached below.
The rezoning dealt with such things as building setbacks and heights, lot sizes, parking, green space, sidewalks and driveways, and allows for a high degree of density in the development.
The rezoning application went to a public hearing on June 11. Council did not officially approve the rezoning following the hearing because for development agreements of 20 years or more, the provincial inspector of municipalities must approve the rezoning, and it has taken all summer for that to happen.
The new retaining wall for the waterfront pathway is shown on the left, and on the right the old pier that will be adapted as part of the marina in the new development.
One change made following the June public hearing is that the developer will contribute $500 per residential unit to the city’s affordable housing fund, not $250 as originally proposed.
As for the eight residential units of Phase 1, Allard Ockeloen of Storm Mountain Developments told the Star his company has finished building a retaining wall for the waterfront pathway. The developer contributed the pathway to the city so the waterfront pathway could be continued along the shore to Red Sands beach.
Ockeloen said the retaining wall for the pathway will be a “living wall” with plantings so that it will look like a green berm rather than a retaining wall.
He said sales and construction of the eight housing units of Phase 1 have not started yet, instead waiting until after Monday night’s rezoning of the neighbouring property because “people needed to know what the neighbourhood is going to look like before they commit. Maybe some people would buy [otherwise] but I think it is better if we clean that up first and show what is going to be there.”
Ockeloen said the rezoning decision Monday night means he will start taking deposits on the eight units and begin road building on the Phase 1 property, but he is not sure whether actual building construction will start before the spring.
“The start of construction is weather-dependent and depends on the success of the sales program. So some things like roads and bringing services in under the CPR tracks will happen this year. If the sales program is strong and we pre-sell some then we will be able to start construction this year.”