City of Nelson and Developer Reach Agreement on Land Swap to Improve Wildfire Resilience, Emergency Access/Egress, and Community Connectivity

The City of Nelson will be swapping land with Sunburst Acres Inc., a local developer. The land swap will create a public road through the current private lands at the end of Trevor Street and will create parkland. This will significantly enhance the community's wildfire resilience, emergency preparedness, and connectivity. This strategic exchange allows the City to secure a key parcel of land that is important for wildfire mitigation and to create a critical emergency access route at the top of Fairview.

The land acquired by the City is a continuous stretch of forested area extending from the Great Northern Rail Trail into Nelson. This area is currently one of the highest wildfire risks in Nelson due to its steep slopes, dense coniferous tree cover, and potential risk from ember showers. The land swap will allow the City to apply for grants to begin fire mitigation efforts in this hazardous area and to create a new park that borders the rail trail.

“Council deliberated over a number of factors over the past year related to the land swap – including housing availability, ecosystem stewardship and active transportation connections – and decided to proceed due to the increased safety benefits it will provide for our community,” said Mayor Janice Morrison.

The images below show the area before and after the land swap. The land swap areas are of equal value.

Before

(City land zoned R1; private land zoned R1) 

 After

In exchange, the developer will construct an emergency egress road to serve the 114 existing residences in the Trevor Street and Selby Street area, which currently have only one access point. The new road will connect Trevor Street to Davies Street, addressing the fact that Trevor Street does not meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards for emergency egress due to the number of homes relying on a single access route. The City was not able to put in this road prior to the land swap because the land was privately owned.

This roadway will meet national egress standards, enhance wildfire protection measures, and improve traffic flow during evacuations. The developer will also subdivide approximately 20 R1 (Low-Density Residential) lots in phases as the roadway is constructed. The roadway will extend from Trevor Street to Davies Street, with approximately the first half of the new road paved and the remainder built to a gravel standard. The gravel portion is required to be paved as future lots are developed.

Additional Benefits of the Agreement:

• Housing Development: The lands retained by the developer will remain zoned R1 (low density housing) and will include a requirement to include as a minimum a secondary suite or a duplex.
• Park Lands: Initially both the City and private lands were zoned for low-density residential development. Following the land swap, the upper lands will be rezoned as parkland, supporting recreation and environmental preservation.
•  Active Transportation Corridors: The developer will create a new public pedestrian and cycling connection from Trevor Street to Davies Street and to the Great Northern Rail Trail.
• Infrastructure Upgrades: The agreement allows for improved servicing and operational efficiencies.
• Policy Alignment: The project supports the Official Community Plan's goals for neighbourhood connectivity and the Active Transportation Plan’s vision for connections between Fairview and Uphill, with the Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan.

This decision was made in a closed Council meeting in accordance with the Community Charter, Section 90(1)(e). This section allows for private discussions on matters like land acquisition, disposition, or expropriation when public disclosure could harm the municipality's negotiating ability.

The closed meeting was necessary as it related to the City’s financial interests and dealt with sensitive emergency preparedness information. Given the increasing wildfire threat, this land swap aims to enhance safety in Nelson, particularly in the upper Gyro neighbourhood, while also adding housing and dedicated parkland.

For more information, view Fire Chief Jeff Hebert’s presentation.