Nelson City Council, in a unanimous vote at its April 16 meeting, gave final approval to SHARE Housing Initiative's proposal for a 48-unit five-storey affordable housing project in Fairview.
The project, proposed for two lots at 1306 and 1308 Fell Street near Selkirk College's Tenth Street campus, would provide 10 two-bedroom units, 26 one-bedroom units and 12 studio units. The SHARE Housing Initiative will now submit a funding application to BC Housing and, if the application is successful, the group expects construction to start during the winter of 2025-26.
The project plan sets out a mix of affordability that includes 50 per cent of units that would rent for 30 per cent of a household’s income, 30 per cent of units that would rent for market rates; and 20 per cent of the units that would rent at "deeply affordable" rates that would suit tenants on social assistance or pensions.
Council's vote paved the way for the development by changing the Official Community Plan, rezoning the lots from industrial to high-density residential, and allowing a variance permit to change building setbacks and height.
Just before the council meeting, a pubic hearing had feedback from 24 residents of the city. A public hearing is required by B.C.'s Local Government Act when a municipal government wishes to amend its Official Community Plan in order to rezone property.
Public hearings are governed by specific procedures. Anyone affected by the proposed zoning change may speak to council, identifying themselves and their street address. Each speaker is given a maximum of five minutes to speak and there are no questions or discussion. After everyone has been heard, council then votes on the issue immediately. This was the culmination of many discussions and decisions about the project at the council table since September.
Presentations at the hearing
At the April 10 hearing, 24 people made presentations. Fourteen of those were against the project, eight were in favour, and two were neutral.
All of the people who spoke against the project reside in Fairview in the general vicinity of the project. All of those in favour live in other parts in the city.
The favourable comments all referred to the need for affordable housing in Nelson. Several of the presenters gave personal stories of the challenges they, their families, or their employees faced when looking for housing in the city. Two of them said they are residents of SHARE Nelson's other housing project at Herridge Place and spoke about how that residence had made their move to Nelson possible and their lives here affordable.
Many of those who spoke against the project said the height of the building and its density does not fit the neighbourhood, and that the building is too close to the neighbour's property lines. They said the building will negatively change the character of the neighbourhood. Many said the development's timeline for decision-making and funding – the project was first announced in September 2024 – were rushed and did not sufficiently consider alternative building sites.
Some presenters said they were not convinced by a traffic study commissioned by the city that concluded that traffic flow and parking would not be a problem. They believe there will be parking spillover that will affect parking for neighbours for blocks around, and for Selkirk College and the new health campus.
One presenter said that despite the city's list of reasons that the project fits the intentions of the Official Community Plan, the OCP nevertheless repeatedly emphasizes the importance of compatibility in scale and density, which the presenter said this project does not provide.
Two people questioned the need for the population of Nelson to grow. Others said the city, in its communications about the project, was under-reporting the size of the opposition to it.
Some presenters said they had collected 350 signatures on a petition against the project in recent days and had presented it to council just prior to the hearing. Mayor Janice Morrison said petitions to council must be officially presented through the city's corporate officer and that a petition requires the full street address of all signatories, which she said this petition did not and therefore it would not be considered.
The public hearing can be viewed on YouTube at https://tinyurl.com/ycyyp6j8.
Council's responses
At a special council meeting held immediately after the public hearing, several council members gave reasons for their support of the project. Councillor Rik Logtenberg set the tone by stating that the scale of the housing crisis in the city and the country will mean that the alternate housing sites the neighbours had proposed will eventually have housing built on them also.
Concerning the timeline for decision-making that took place over several months, which some of the presenters had said was too short, Logtenberg referred to the need to respond to BC Housing's funding deadline.
"The truth is, we have to move when the opportunity presents itself. And it seems like this opportunity is presenting itself now. We have no idea if it's not going to arise again, and even if it does, we're going to have to seize that opportunity as well."
He said that the community of Nelson has unequivocally stated that the city's priority should be affordable housing, and that any large affordable housing project is going to have an impact on the neighbourhood in which it is built.
"I hear you, that this is going to be a challenge for you," he said to the neighbourhood residents.
Councillor Jesse Pineiro supported Logtenberg's statements and said the alternative to subsidized affordable housing is market apartments and condos that are often built to provide vacation homes, investments, and short-term rentals that "do not help the community whatsoever."
He said this project will help with the rental vulnerability that many people face and which he has experienced himself.
Councillor Keith Page supported Logtenberg and Pineiro and said he was satisfied that council had, over the previous months, carefully considered the possibilities of a smaller building and alternate locations. He said the city needs to work further with the issues of parking, traffic calming and additional sidewalks in the neighbourhood.
Regarding the timeline for the project, Councillor Leslie Payne said the important timeline for her is that of people living in unsafe and inappropriate housing.
"That's the timeline for me. That's the urgency around this. It's a housing crisis. It's not something that it would be nice to fix when we get around to it."
Councillor Kate Tait, supporting other councillors, said the city has made changes over the past few months to the design and the setbacks. "I thought that that was responsive to the community, and I really appreciate that."
She said many cities and towns are working hard to attract new residents, whereas Nelson has an opposite problem with many people trying to find ways to move here. She said she believes that the city should grow upward (with more density) rather than sprawling outward.
The council meeting can be viewed on YouTube at https://tinyurl.com/yyvftbvk.
The SHARE project on Fell Street is one of two current affordable housing developments before city council. The other, located next to the Nelson and District Community Complex on the 800 block of Front Street, would be a six-storey, 50-unit building operated by Nelson CARES, on which council has not yet made a final decision.
