Huge construction crane dominates Nelson Commons construction site

The Nelson Commons, a $26M project of the Kootenay Country Store Cooperative.

The Nelson Common project is well underway and one can’t miss the huge construction crane that now dominates the Nelson skyline.

The Nelson Commons, a $26M project of the Kootenay Country Store Cooperative, will include a larger Co-op store, 54 residential units, additional commercial spaces, underground and street level parking, and a community green space in a prime location in Nelson’s downtown core.

“Nelson Commons will be the most significant project in the downtown core in the last 20 years”, says Kootenay Co-op President Jon Steinman. “We are very aware that we have a responsibility to our 12,000 members and to our region to develop the land responsibly from a social, environmental and economic perspective”.

The project includes features like restricted resale units (to increase accessibility for home buyers entering the market), heat capture in the building, xeriscaping to reduce water use needs and many other features that reduce the store and building footprint.

The Co-op members-owners contributed towards the new store during the Co-op’s successful 2013 member loan campaign which raised $1.87M, a North American record for a campaign of this kind.

Construction began earlier this spring, with both commercial and residential occupancy slated for the summer of 2016. “This is the news we have been waiting for--we are looking forward to watching our new home rise up in the heart of Nelson,” says Marty Horswill, Nelson Commons condo owner.

“As purchasers of a condo at Nelson Commons we are excited to see the beginning of a project that will create new vitality in downtown Nelson,” agreed Dave and Cheryl Elliott. The project is unique in that it is a major development that is driven by the community itself, through a locally-owned co-op with a triple bottom line.

Watch the construction progress live.