All aboard: Railtown District sustainable neighbourhood public planning process underway in Nelson

Residents are invited to share their thoughts and ideas on the project at nelsonrailtown.ca.

Nelson Mayor Deb Kozak and Pam Mierau, Manager of Development Services at the gateway to the Railtown District. — Photo courtesy nelson.ca

Nelson — Nelson residents and business owners are being invited to jump aboard the City’s newest neighbourhood revitalization effort—a project that holds tremendous promise according to Mayor Deb Kozak.

“The Railtown District has huge potential,” says Mayor Kozak. “Nelson is independent, industrious and resilient. And Railtown will reflect all of that in one neighbourhood.”

The Mayor was one of two dozen participants in the first phase of Railtown’s community and stakeholder engagement process, held last week at the new Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce – a building that will sit in the heart of the new district, at Baker Street’s westernmost end.

“Community stakeholders, Council members and City staff who took part in the first meeting were really engaged, there was a lot of great feedback,” says Pam Mierau, the City’s Manager of Development Services.

“And now, we really want to engage the public in planning,” adds the Mayor. “We’re hoping local residents and business owners provide their insight and opinions on what they’d like the district to look like, through the project’s new webpage and at open houses scheduled for the next two phases of the planning process.”

The second phase of the process is slated for next month, and will include a two-day design workshop — also called a charrette —involving the collaboration between stakeholders and the planning and design team. The workshop will be followed by a public open house where the community can provide input and feedback on preliminary design concepts.

Refinement and evaluation of the concept options developed in Phase 2 will be followed by the selection of a preferred neighbourhood concept in Phase 3. The Draft Neighbourhood Plan — including detailed policy, design and implementation components — will be presented at a second public open house this spring, before the final plan is presented for Council adoption.

The Railtown Sustainable Neighourhood Plan and recommendations are to be completed by the end of June, with Council slated to approve the document in September.

“The majority of development in Railtown will be market driven,” says Mayor Kozak, “and funded by private sector property owners and builders. There will also be potential for strategic public investments too.”

In the meantime, the City is hoping residents begin sharing their thoughts right away. Staff have just launched the Railtown planning process webpage at nelsonrailtown.ca, which is connected to the City’s website (nelson.ca). The site includes a link to a quick survey that everyone is being invited to fill out.

The site will also include regular project updates, notifications and project deliverables.

Mierau explains that the survey is focusing on three aspects of the proposed plan: Now, Wow and How.

“The ‘now’ is aimed at identifying what’s currently working well, or not so well, in the Railtown area,” says Mierau. “‘Wow’ is aimed at helping everyone focus on what Railtown could look and feel like in the future. “And the ‘how’ is focused on identifying strategies and actions – the projects, programs, partnerships and types of development that will help achieve the district’s vision.”

Bordered by Highway 3A, Cottonwood Falls, Government Road and the CP rail tracks running parallel to the West Arm waterfront, the Railtown planning process is exploring a mix of light industrial, commercial and residential development — all tied together in a walkable, vibrant and unique public neighbourhood.

Based on a ten-year outlook, Railtown could create as many as 100 new jobs and see up to 11 acres of light industrial development, 100 residential units and 20,000 square feet of retail space — space that can be added without negatively impacting the vital downtown business sector.

The City has contracted Vancouver’s Modus planning and design firm to oversee the Railtown planning process. Modus has developed a variety of similar projects including downtown and public realm plans for the cities of Chilliwack, Fort St. John, Mission’s downtown, Prince Rupert, Westbank Centre in West Kelowna and the West Bay Neighbourhood in Esquimalt. Nelson’s own Cover Architects firm has been hired to design the new Cottonwood Market structure.

“It’s important to remember though, that Nelson is not a big city,” says the Mayor. “And Railtown will reflect that. It will be a neighbourhood that’s as authentic as the city itself.”

The Mayor explains that seven publicly directed policy documents are being used to guide the Railtown vision— including the Sustainable Waterfront and Downtown Master Plan (SWDMP).

The stakeholder group is made up of 20 members including local architects/designers, land/business owners, residents, ecologists, and other community advocates. The group will be collaborating with the planning and design team and providing input at key stages.

The district’s design principals include: high liveability, green energy and infrastructure, an intact ecosystem around Cottonwood Falls Park, state-of-the-art broadband availability, walkable neighbourhoods, infilling, a mix of jobs and housing, strong bicycle and pedestrian connections, cultural amenities and brownfield ecological restoration.

“It’s an historically important and special part of the city,” says Mayor Kozak, “because it borders both the downtown core and the waterfront. Railtown will be a critical revitalization of one of Nelson’s most important districts in the decade ahead.”

Railtown Phase One Planning Process participants and Stakeholders Group:

Mayor Deb Kozak
City Councillor Michael Dailly
City Councillor Bob Adams
City Councillor Anna Purcell
Pam Mierau, Manager of Development Services
Megan Squires, City Planner
Joaquin Karakas, Modus Planning and Design Firm
JP Raulot-Lapointe, Modus Planning and Design Firm
Lukas Armstrong, Cover Architects
Stephanie Fischer
Karen Bennett
David Elliott
Steven Kaup
Matthew Stanley
Jess Woodward
Marc Brillon
Patrick Davis
John Knox
Alan Thomson
Richard Green
Tony Maglio
Chris Chart
Birgit Chart