Nelson's Railtown District Sustainable Neighbourhood Plan

The City of Nelson will develop a sustainable neighbourhood action plan to revitalize a neglected downtown area that is isolated by an existing railway corridor. The Railtown District was identified in the city’s 2010 Sustainable Waterfront and Downtown Master Plan (SWDMP) as offering strong potential for redevelopment into a live-work neighbourhood that will help meet a number of the city’s sustainability goals.Guided by the SWDMP, a working committee comprised of community stakeholders will oversee the plan’s development through eight stages over an eight-month period. Based on the principles and directions in the city’s Path to 2040 Sustainability Strategy, the plan will address and make recommendations on: energy use; sustainable land use and development; active transportation infrastructure; brownfield development; energy-efficient housing; water and wastewater infrastructure; and solid waste management. It will include immediate actions to kick-start implementation, and will have a monitoring and evaluation component. The Railtown District is expected to continue to serve light industrial businesses with some additional multi-unit residential development that will capitalize on the neighbourhood’s proximity to both the downtown core and waterfront park systems, while offering adjacent employment opportunities.This initiative will serve to operationalize the city’s long-term sustainability plans and demonstrate to the community how high-level planning can be delivered on the ground. The neighbourhood plan will also build on complementary municipal programs and studies in active transportation, LEED buildings, district energy, a low carbon path and greenhouse gas reductions. Council has already acquired several strategic properties and is ready to support the Railtown District revitalization through a private-sector partnership to develop housing in the area.Through its previous sustainability initiatives, the City of Nelson has gained valuable experience in sharing best practices and lessons learned with other municipalities. This knowledge sharing will continue as the city works to apply sustainability principles at the neighbourhood level, and can be used by other cities and towns with old railway lands. (Project description from original funding application)