THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF NELSON

REQUEST FOR DECISION

DATE:
LATE ITEM November 16, 2015 Special
TOPIC:
Cottonwood Market Re-Design
PROPOSAL:
Approve Design Proposal
PROPOSED BY: Staff
_________________________________________________________________________
ANALYSIS SUMMARY:
The existing structures that house the Cottonwood Market were constructed some 40 years
ago by the boy scouts as camping structures.
The Eco-Society noted the following: The reality of the current structures is that the roof
needs to be replaced, more covered area is needed, and security is a concern for market
assets. The walls and foundations seem sound. If the structures are going to be torn down in
the next 10 years to facilitate Railtown development, it doesn't make sense to invest 50-100K
in repairing them.
City engineering staff also did a review of the structures and agrees with the assessment
made by the Eco-Society. As the owners of the structures, once these are deemed unsafe,
then Council needs to either close them, repair them or remove them.
The orientation to the park is also poor as the structures effectively create a barrier to the
park. The other big concern with the present market is pedestrian and parking circulation, the
current situation is chaotic and pedestrian safety is poor. Circulation to the vendors in the
market is also not ideal.
Attached is the proposal from Cover Architectural to develop a new re-designed market area,
this was contemplated by the Eco-Society for a number of years and some preliminary work
was done before the city completed the downtown waterfront master plan which created a
larger community vision for the Railtown area. The vision includes the opportunity to
revitalize this once thriving neighbourhood and build on its many assets including Cottonwood
Park, Cottonwood Creek, the recently renovated CP Stationhouse and the other heritage
buildings in the area. The City purchased some strategic properties in the area to facilitate
this revitalization.
Railtown has the opportunity to become an eclectic new downtown neighbourhood. That
planning process, the Railtown sustainable neighbourhood plan has been kicked off and will
include a number of opportunities for the community to provide additional input.
The current challenge is the design work for the new market needs to be completed now in
order to be able to re-open the market in the spring. Staff is confident a new design can be
completed that does not impact the revitalization options being contemplated for the Railtown
neighborhood and the two processes can be completed in parallel.
There is also interest from a community business to participate and contribute to a new
Cottonwood Market.

BACKGROUND:
A design proposal has been sought from Cover Architectural to complete the design work for
the new market. The City and the Eco-Society have agreed that the new market will roughly
equal the capacity of the existing market, with some additional features. The following is a
description of the proposed functional elements of the new market.
Construction:
Approximately 2000 sqft of covered area for vendors and pedestrian circulation.
Two durable washroom facilities with the potential for use beyond market hours.
A lockable facilities maintenance room and storage area for management use.
A covered bandshell that includes electrical services and a lockable storage area.
Audience seating incorporated into the landscape that may or may not be covered.
Play area
Additional considerations:
Potential protective fencing along Cottonwood Creek.
Space for additional formal (paying) market vendors in proximity to the covered market
stalls.
Space for informal (non paying) market vendors in proximity to the covered market stalls.
Pedestrian and vehicular circulation on and around the site.
Pedestrian and vehicular connections between the market site and the remainder of Nelson.
Relationships between the new market and surrounding properties, including Cottonwood
Park and other City Properties.
Considerations for future expansion:
Additional covered and uncovered vending spots.
Future parking needs.
Storage capacity for vendors.
BENEFITS, DISADVANTAGES AND NEGATIVE IMPACTS:
The Eco-Society has identified the need to develop a new market at Cottonwood for a
number of years as the current market had a number of deficiencies and was nearing end of
life. A community business partner has expressed interest in participating in a new market.
In order to design and construct a new market by spring 2016 the design work needs to begin
late 2015/early 2016. The design can be completed that does not impact the larger Railtown
revitalization planning work.

LEGISLATIVE IMPACTS, PRECEDENTS, POLICIES:

It is within Councils legislated authority to approve the proposal for the re-design of
Cottonwood Park. Council is responsible for the safety of the public in public spaces and
must address any potentially unsafe conditions.
Council has adopted the Sustainable Waterfront and Downtown Master Plan and provided
funding to complete the Railtown Sustainable Neighborhood Plan.
COSTS AND BUDGET IMPACT - REVENUE GENERATION:
The design fees to complete the work are $12,600 and can be funded from the development
services consulting fees budget. The preliminary estimate for the construction of the new
market is between $100,000 and $150,000. The Eco-Society has agreed to take the lead in
fundraising for the construction costs. A community business partner has expressed interest
in contributing to this project.

IMPACT ON SUSTAINABILITY OBJECTIVES AND STAFF RESOURCES:

The citys sustainability plan identifies a number of goals regarding food security that are met
with Council supporting the ongoing operations of the Cottonwood Market. A number of
sustainability goals will be moved forward with the development of the Railtown neighborhood
sustainability plan.
COMMUNICATIONS:
The decision of council will be communicated to the media and on the citys website and
Facebook page. There will be an opportunity for the community to participate in the design
process as well as the Railtown sustainable neighborhood plan.
OPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES:
1. Approve the request.
2. Deny the request.
3. Refer to staff for more information.
ATTACHMENTS:

Design Proposal Cover Architectural.

Excerpts from the Railtown neighborhood sustainability plan.

Excerpts from the Sustainable Waterfront and Downtown Master Plan.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
That Council passes the following resolution:
That Council approves the fee proposal and scope of work from Cover Architectural
Collaborative Inc. for the amount of $12,600 and the removal of the existing structures in
2015.
AUTHOR

REVIEWED BY:

______________________________

____________________________

CITY MANAGER

CORPORATE OFFICER

Cottonwood Market Replacement

November 4th 2015
Introduction
It has been identified that the current Cottonwood Market poses a safety risk to the public and is
beyond rehabilitation. The City of Nelson, working with the West Kootenay EcoSociety, has decided to
create a new permanent market within the boundaries of Cottonwood Falls Park. It is expected that the
new market will be operational for the 2016 market season.
Scope
The City and the EcoSociety have agreed that the new market will roughly equal the capacity of
the existing market, with some additional features. The following is a description of the proposed
functional elements of the new market.
Construction:

Approximately 2000 sqft of covered area for vendors and pedestrian circulation.
Two durable washroom facilities with the potential for use beyond market hours.
A lockable facilities maintenance room and storage area for management use.
A covered bandshell that includes electrical services and a lockable storage area.
Audience seating incorporated into the landscape that may or may not be covered.
Play area

Additional considerations:

Potential protective fencing along Cottonwood Creek.

Space for additional formal (paying) market vendors in proximity to the covered market stalls.
Space for informal (non paying) market vendors in proximity to the covered market stalls.
Pedestrian and vehicular circulation on and around the site.
Pedestrian and vehicular connections between the market site and the remainder of Nelson.
Relationships between the new market and surrounding properties, including Cottonwood Park
and other City Properties.

Considerations for future expansion:

Additional covered and uncovered vending spots.

Future parking needs.
Storage capacity for vendors.

Cover Architectural Collaborative Inc.

#5 - 320 Vernon Street, Nelson, BC, Canada V1L 4E4 p.250.354.4445 f.250.352.0017 www.coverac.ca
Graeme Leadbeater Architect AIBC, AAA, FRAIC, Principal
Lukas Armstrong, B.Des, M.Arch, Principal
Robert Stacey, BFA, M.Arch, Principal

RAILTOWN RFP
The Railtown neighbourhood plan will be developed based on the principles and directions in
Nelsons Path to 2040 - Sustainability Strategy and it needs to consider the following:
planning context (SWDMP, OCP, etc.)
sustainability context and FCM requirements: Integrating energy, utilities, building,
transportation, solid waste, and social considerations
site conditions: creek, hazardous lands, existing land uses, heritage,
environmental/ecological amenities considerations, on-street parking configurations
Infrastructure and Servicing Capacity (hydro, sanitary, storm, water, transportation)
appropriate mix and density of uses, and increase of residential units with reference
to Market Analysis from SWDMP

Specifically, the plan will be required to address and make recommendations on the following:
energy (micro-hydro and potential for community energy system);
current best practices towards sustainable land use development;
interaction with and expanding the City's active transportation infrastructure
specifically in regards to walking, cycling and public transit;
environmental remediation of Cottonwood Creek where applicable;
brownfield development (specifically discussing the challenges to develop
brownfields in a community where land values are relatively low in relation to costs
for reclamation);
energy efficient housing;
water and wastewater infrastructure. The plan must look at existing infrastructure
and the need to maximize efficiencies of the infrastructure to ensure operations are
sustainable for the long term;
solid waste: the Plan needs to touch on the need to reduce solid waste. It is
understood that the Regional District (not the City of Nelson) has the primary
responsibility for solid waste, but there needs to be a discussion on the possibility of
waste reduction particularly since the recycling centre is located in middle of the
neighbourhood and since programmes are already in place for composting in
Cottonwood Falls Park.

By May 2016, a focused sustainable neighbourhood plan that provides:

concept plan for the Railtown neighbourhood that illustrates: zones/land uses, street
improvements, on-street parking configurations, and pedestrian, cycling and
vehicular connections/improvements.
review of existing Development Permit Area Guidelines, with comment on any
necessary revisions or changes.
review of land use zone(s) for possible update of the Zoning Bylaw, including details
for permitted uses, lot coverage, height, setbacks, and minimum and/or maximum lot
sizes, and off-street parking and loading requirements.
cross sections for streets that incorporate recommendations from the Active
Transportation Plan.
development of sustainability goals, targets, strategies for achieving goals, and an
implementation and monitoring strategy including appropriate indicators
detailed recommendations in order to achieve momentum towards implementation
by using such opportunities as:

Brownfield redevelopment incentives;

energy efficient building incentives;

planning incentives i.e. bonusing, streamlined approval process, etc.

taxation incentives.