Nelson’s City Council recently approved a zoning change for part of the Granite Pointe golf course. The land was zoned as a park (P1 or P2 depending on what document or sign you looked at) and now it is zoned R2 (multi-family) despite presentations and objections from area residents.
Don’t get us wrong, we are not anti-development and most of us would have supported a change to R1 (single family and duplex). The property in question is on Choquette Avenue and is neighboured by duplexes and single family homes.
Our official community plan (OCP), which was developed over a period of time and we paid dearly for, says in part:
“The City of Nelson will encourage redevelopment (of the Granite Point Golf Course) with the following key principles.
High densities shall be centralized near the clubhouse, while lower densities will be supported along the periphery of the golf course lands.”
The OCP states for Rosemont in general:
“Single and Two unit residential development and townhouse development in Rosemont will be located on sites adjacent to the golf course, provided the scale and design of the development is compatible with its surroundings.”
From the Granite Pointe proposal:
“Residential units shall be compatible with surrounding land uses and respect adjacent properties. Consideration of viewscape. Higher densities near the clubhouse and village centre, lower densities away from the clubhouse and adjacent to existing single family residential.”
When looking at “Study Area 5” in the initial proposal for the development of the golf course, it indicates single family or two family dwellings for a total of 5 to 10 units. This would fit with the OCP as this property is along the periphery of the golf course and is adjacent to existing single family residential.
The proposal is no longer on the golf course website, but it is archived at http://web.archive.org/web/20120911005112/http://www.granitepointe.ca/Real_Estate.html for anyone wishing to view the document in its entirety.
The question we have is how do four-storey condominium style buildings with a total of 24 to 30 units fit in with these plans and proposals? The simple answer is they don’t.
So, why do we have a community plan if it is not followed?
What is next?
We understand that the developer wants to maximize his profit. We understand the city is happy for more tax revenue. What we don’t understand is why the city is not following its own OCP and approved this zoning change and why they are likely to approve a variance so the builder can go even larger on this site.
Profit for developers should not be the big determining factor when planning for the long term livability of our city.
Anne and Doug Cavicchi
Nelson