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'Nelson is watching': Nelson mayor on golf course housing

High-end development has provoked online controversy, a petition, and a local alternative development plan

Nelson's mayor says that despite local opposition, city council is in no position to question the first 24-unit phase of a planned 360-unit housing development at the Granite Pointe golf course.

"I would say that for this stage of the development, the developer has met all of the requirements of being able to develop that land," Janice Morrison said. "He's met the Official Community Plan requirements, he's met the zoning requirements. He's allowed to build the first 24 units."

Those 24 townhouse units raised many eyebrows in Nelson because of their price tag of $1.85 million each, and because of the plan for two boutique hotels and a spa as part of future phases of the development. Locals have protested the developer Hallō Properties' plan to build luxury housing in the midst of a housing affordability crisis in the city. 

But Morrison said that future phases of the development could potentially come under council's scrutiny because the developer will have to apply to rezone the land, and that application will come before council. 

In 2019 council rezoned the property for the initial 24 units, which included a public hearing.

Nelson's Official Community Plan, which is due to be updated next year, recommends 300 units of mixed housing types at the golf course. It states that some of it should be affordable but does not define what affordable is. 

Morrison pointed out that the OCP allows small commercial enterprises on the golf course land, but the intent is that they be modest in scope.

"Something like the Uphill Market, like the French bakery, small scale ... like a hairdresser or barber."

But given the probable construction timelines – the development will be built over 10 years – even the next phase could happen after the present council's tenure, Morrison said. (The next election is in the fall of 2026.)

"You're asking me to speculate," said Morrison, "and I don't want to add more fuel to the fire, but the residents of Nelson will be watching. We are an engaged community, and we will be watching."

Affordability and a half-billion dollar development

Developer Farhad Ebrahimi of Hallō Properties told the Nelson Star on Nov. 13 that half of the 360 units will be affordable housing.

Asked to define "affordable," he declined to speculate on what rent or sale prices might be, but stated that they will conform to current market levels. He said the definition of affordable depends on the context.

"Out of 360 units, at least 180 of them will be affordable in one form or another," Ebrahimi said. This comment comes as a response to online protests that the company is planning to build luxury housing in the midst of a housing affordability crisis in the city. 

"We will provide a range of housing types, which include rental buildings, seniors Independent living, employee housing, market affordable for-sale units, units with mortgage helpers," Ebrahimi said.

In July, Hallō Properties announced plans to build 306 units of housing over 10 years on 17.5 acres of property it had purchased in 2023 from Granite Pointe Golf Club. That number has now grown to 360 housing units because, Ebrahimi said, the company has reduced the size of some units to make them more affordable, making room for more units.

Ebrahimi told the Nelson Star in July that ground would be broken for the first 24 units this fall, but now he said he is not sure when this will happen because the company does not have a building permit for which he applied to the city's planning department about two months ago. The issuance of building permits does not come before council and is decided by the city's planning department.

The company also plans to take over, re-design, and manage the golf course itself after shutting it down for two years to rebuild it. The new course would be run by the international golf course management company Troon. Ebrahimi said a decision as to the timing of this work will be announced on Dec. 31.

The housing and golf project combined amount to a half-billion dollar project over 10 years. 

The company announced these housing and golf course plans last spring on a website designed to attract out-of-town residents and investors, pitching Nelson as an unspoiled paradise. 

Pushback

This provoked pushback and the formation of the group Hellnō Hallō, which started a petition on Change.org that, as of Nov. 15, had 2,427 signatures.

Nelson resident Paul Saso, who spearheads the group, said the petition demands that the City of Nelson reject the project and instead promote affordable options to address the city's housing vacancy crisis. The petition describes the Hallō project as "luxury developments of second and third homes for the ultra-wealthy" and the group's mission as "to protect the culture and character of Nelson."

Saso said a September article in The Globe and Mail touting the project startled many Nelson residents.

"People were flabbergasted. A lot of people thought it was a joke for a long time."

Saso created an alternative plan for how the land could be used, published it online, then sent it to the city, the golf club and the developer. It calls for concessions on the part of the developer and the golf course such as land swaps, a scaling back of luxury features, switching its marketing to locals, building positive community relationships, direct contributions to affordability, and cancellation of what it calls the resort aspects of the project.

His plan proposes a neighbourhood housing development with diverse housing options, partnerships, phased development, and a "sustainable long-term vision" that does not include hotels or high-end housing.

It asks the city to assist with all of the above, and to scale down the development through zoning and affordable housing mandates.

But so far, Saso told the Nelson Star, he has received little traction with the developer, the golf course or the city.

Saso said Hallō Properties responded to his plan by saying there was no need to worry because half the development would be affordable, although Saso says Ebrahimi did not define that term.

On the pushback from Hellnō Hallō and to Saso's plan, Ebrahimi said, "It's great. People love Nelson, and they spoke up, and that's fantastic. But people just didn't have the complete information."

He said the information they were lacking was that "half of the units would be affordable." He said the public's perception was skewed by the announcement that the first 24 units will sell for $1.85 million each, but he said that is a small fraction of the whole development.

As for Saso's alternative plan, Ebrahimi said "in terms of logistics and practicality," it asks too much of the company and the golf course.

"So for different reasons, it's not viable in the method that they were asking for," he said. 

The initial 24 units are pre-selling well, he said, although he declined to give numbers. He said "a number of NHL players" may be among the purchasers. 

Saso said he got a similar disinterested response from Granite Pointe Golf Club. He realizes that the sale of the land and the deal with Hallō Properties was in the club's best financial interest.

The golf club did not respond to a request for comment.

Ebrahim said Hallō Properties intends to hold a public meeting to inform residents about the project, but did not say when.

Zoning and the OCP

The City of Nelson is in the process of revising Nelson's Official Community Plan, which governs how land will be used in different parts of the city. Over the past year the city has held a number of public feedback sessions and also solicited input online, asking residents what an updated OCP might look like. 

Saso said he and his group have not participated in that process, nor has he applied to come as a formal delegation to a council meeting with a specific request, but he expects to in the near future. He did appear before council in September during the public participation section of a Committee of the Whole meeting, at which residents may speak for three minutes and council does not ask questions or respond.

But to make a formal request and get into a dialogue with council, the group would have to apply to appear as a delegation.

If the group does this, Saso said, he would ask council what its limits are. For example, will they allow boutique hotels or high-end restaurants? Will they apply any affordability criteria to the housing plan? 

"What is the city going to say 'no' to here?" he asks. "Where's the line that the city is going to stand on, basically, and when is that going to happen? And I wish they'd just come out with that ahead of time and save us all a lot of time."

Ken Bourdeau, the city's senior planner, told the Nelson Star in email that if land is being rezoned, council may restrict certain commercial uses, but there is no way to to regulate the price of commercial ventures or distinguish between a modest hotel and a luxury hotel.

He said housing affordability can be regulated to some extent.

"Any residential development that would require rezoning can be subject to conditions," he wrote, "such as being designated for affordable housing. This happens through negotiations between city staff and the developer, and is subject to council approval."

Boudreau said the city can not exclude wealthier people through zoning "due to legal principles surrounding property rights and discrimination. However, they can implement policies to incentivize the creation of more affordable housing and ensure a mix of socioeconomic groups within the community."



Bill Metcalfe

About the Author: Bill Metcalfe

I have lived in Nelson since 1994 and worked as a reporter at the Nelson Star since 2015.
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