City looks to advance micro-unit housing project in the downtown
By Timothy Schafer
The city is looking to develop up to three stories of residential micro-unit style housing atop the existing Nelson and District Youth Centre building in the downtown.
The city’s facilities maintenance manager, Peter Sinstadt, provided information to city council regarding the proposal to construct housing units above the Nelson and District Youth Centre (NDYC).
Micro-loft housing — small, prefabricated accommodations — are intended to meet the low cost entry purchase level or rental market that has been identified as lacking, and therefore a priority, in the city. The units will be just over 300 square feet and could sell for about $100,000.
Sinstadt said the project is proceeding, with a geotechnical report and a market analysis to be done on the site before sending out a request for proposals from potential developers. The project would come back to city council before that stage as well.
“The city wants to improve available housing in its downtown core as well as the current condition of the NDYC facility,” Sinstadt said in his report to council.
In the wake of the city updating the Affordable Housing Strategy for 2014, several groups facing housing challenges — as well as significant gaps in available housing — were identified.
With those groups in mind, Cascadia Green Building Council presented a feasibility study to city council in December, 2014 to determine the possibility of adding additional floors to the existing facility.
The results determined it was feasible and affordable to place residential units on the roof of the NDYC, said Sinstadt in his report.
“The existing roof has reached its end of life and is due for replacement,” he wrote.
To follow up on the sentiment of creating available housing downtown, in February, 2015 council directed city staff to issue a request for expressions of interest (RFEOI) to the architecture, housing and development communities.
Sinstadt said the original request for expressions of interest on the proposal was unattractive to developers, with too many variables involved.
The development required variances, operational agreements (rental versus sale, with the NDYC) and a financial partnership with the city.
Cover Architecture Collaborative Inc. submitted an alternate proposal that did not suggest a development but rather a study to determine project definition, market feasibility, financial statements and development prior to issuing a request for proposals.
Sinstadt said the focus was narrowed toward micro-units, which are seeing success in urban centres across Canada and the U.S. Micro-units are defined as housing sized — 500 square feet or smaller.
Previous studies have indicated this product to be desirable to the community, said Sinstadt in his presentation to council.
“(We would) develop an affordable, entry level, micro-living demonstration project adhering to objectives and policies identified in the 2013 Official Community Plan,” he said.
The objective would be “to continue to work to provide a full range of housing types and tenures for current and future residents of all incomes, ages, lifestyles and abilities.
Sinstadt said the city will commission a geotechnical report on the Youth Centre site as well as a market analysis to make the project appealing to developers.
He added the city would use 2015 approved capital funds to complete the following steps by the end of October on the project:
- Determine structural integrity — Geotechnical study to confirm subsurface soil conditions using test pits and/or drilling. Cost would be around $10,000 (awaiting quotes);
- Conduct a market feasibility study — Define target market, sale price and viability of micro units in Nelson’s real estate market. The cost would be $10,000 (possible funding from CBT).
By December a results presentation will be made to city council with an RFD in hand for proceeding with the project.
In three months a comprehensive development of 608 Lake St. will begin with a zoning and land use designation change, a rezoning and Official Community Plan amendment and a city-initiated estimate of application costs and staff time.
By this time it is expected an RFP will be developed and issued to developers by February, 2016.
Support for applied creativity
City council had been asked to provide a letter of support for the Kootenay Centre for Applied Creativity (Kaslo) project, but council recommended that the Cultural Development Commission (CDC) review it first.
The proposal and vision for the Kootenay Centre for Applied Creativity in Kaslo was reviewed and discussed by the CDC, but council also heard a presentation from project leader Randy Morse Monday, Sept. 14.
The Kaslo Institute is a non-profit applied research institution, a “think-and-do tank” that focuses on issues and opportunities that revolve around three broad subjects: creativity, technology and sustainability.
The performance of similar centres (e.g. the Banff Centre and Naramata Centre) is a significant consideration since those centres have much larger populations. The recent feasibility study undertaken by West
“Since recent studies have agreed that Nelson is “not a conference centre” whether the proposed centre would be viable in a much smaller centre seems hard to imagine,” the CDC noted.
It was also noted restaurants in Kaslo close during the winter months and concern that the centre may become competition to organizations in Nelson in the future was expressed.
There was a desire to see a greater level of information provided (including a budget and supporting research) it was agreed as this will help answer questions about viability and long term sustainability of the centre in Kaslo.
