Opposition Group Presents Alternative Plan to Hallō Nelson Developers

Representatives of HellNō Hallō, the organization opposing the Hallō Nelson development project in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, recently proposed an alternative plan to the developers.

This plan, which prioritizes the needs of Nelson's residents and supports a balanced approach to growth, aims to foster collaboration between developers, the city, and the community to ensure that Nelson remains a vibrant, inclusive place for everyone—not just those who can afford luxury. 

Key Components of the Proposal

1. New Affordable Housing Neighborhood Development

• Land Acquisition: Parcels of land near Selkirk College, which are currently owned by the Golf Course Society would be donated by and/or purchased by organizations like BC Housing, BC Builds, residential coops, City of Nelson, or the Columbia Basin Trust (CBT). The land is close to downtown, existing bus routes, and other subsidized housing.

• Diverse Housing Options: The development would include a variety of housing types to meet different needs:

  • Low-rise Apartments (e.g., SHARE Nelson model)

  • Single-family homes (e.g., Habitat for Humanity model, Whistler Housing Authority model)

  • Supportive housing (e.g., Nelson Cares model)

  • Residential Co-ops

  • Mixed-use options: Rentals and price-limited ownership units, following models like the Whistler Housing Authority.

• Partnerships: Potential development partners include BC Housing, CMHC, SHARE Nelson, Nelson Cares, Habitat for Humanity, and more.

• Phased Development: The neighborhood would be developed incrementally, with small parcels rezoned and sold off over time as funding and development expertise become available.

• Sustainable, Long-term Vision: While development will proceed in stages, the ultimate goal is to create a mixed-use affordable housing neighborhood that reflects Nelson’s values.

2. The Developer's Role

• Land Swap: Crestone swaps a portion of the land recently purchased for a piece closer to Selkirk College where the affordable housing neighbourhood will be built. Workforce housing needed for the golf course workers could be included in this area. 

• Condo Adjustments: Crestone proceeds with the construction of lower priced homes targeted towards local residents, by scaling back on luxury features and selling units unfurnished..

• Media Shift: Crestone pivots its marketing approach, replacing current promotional materials with a focus on sale to local residents.

• Community Relationships: By listening to the outcry of Nelson residents, Crestone responds by building more positive relationships with Nelson residents and city council. The project will proceed more smoothly once it is more in alignment with the community. 

• Affordable Housing Support: Crestone contributes to the affordable housing neighborhood as outlined below, either through significant donations or direct participation in the build.

• Resort Area Cancelation: The large-scale resort-style development is modified towards a community-driven approach with emphasis on affordable housing.

3. Golf Course Society's Role

• Land Donation/Sale for Subsidized Housing: The Golf Course Society in collaboration with Crestone donates 2 acres of land near Selkirk College to initiate the affordable housing neighborhood. The land could be acquired in the form of a 60 year lease or other applicable models by the city or a collaborative of affordable housing groups.

• Future Contributions: Over time, the Golf Course Society commits to donating or selling an additional 8-10 acres of land for continued development of affordable housing. These lands could be purchased by an overarching society, or housing authority and then leased to affordable housing developers/managers or could be sold to individual developers/managers (like SHARE Nelson or Habitat for Humanity). Exact mechanism is uncertain.

• Flexible Development Timeline: The neighborhood is developed gradually, over 10-15 years, though quicker progress could be encouraged based on funding and partnerships.

• Golf Course Management: The golf course remains managed by the Golf Course Society, with no major rebranding or commercialization. Golfing prices remain the same or decrease.

4. City of Nelson's Role

• Zoning and Land Swap: The city facilitates the necessary rezoning and land swap to allow Crestone to return part of the land to the Golf Course Society.

• Rezoning Agreement: The city and the Golf Course Society collaborate on rezoning portions of the golf course land for mixed-use, affordable housing development.

• Update to R2A and other residential zones within golf course lands to specifically disallow the development of resort style accommodation. Nelson’s OCP, Path to 2040, and Downtown Waterfront Master Plan all speak to focusing tourist accommodation (with the exception of limited vacation rental stock of a max 3 units per block) to the downtown core. This should already eliminate resort style development in Rosemont, but this needs to be more explicitly stated.

• Affordable Housing Mandates: City of Nelson could facilitate rezoning from Park to residential as follows. City bylaws are amended to require that when land is rezoned from park (P1) to residential at least 75% of land should be dedicated to affordable housing. The remaining 25% could be used for more expensive developments. These higher priced developments would be subject to high contributions towards the city’s affordable housing funds, similar to the model used in Whistler.

• OCP Update: The Official Community Plan (OCP) update ensures future developments prioritize local residents, affordability, and reflect Nelson’s culture and character.

5. Location of Proposed Plan

• The map above suggests one potential configuration for this plan. Other configurations are of course possible. The parcel next to the Art Gibbon Park forest could also work well. We understand that the City Engineering dept may also need to consider ideally serviceable areas (water, sewer, etc) that are closer to the college, transit routes and are more proximal to downtown.

• The yellow polygon represents land to be returned to the Golf Course Society.

• The purple polygon highlights the area proposed for the new affordable housing development.