Nelson council approves four new units in former grocery

A unanimous decision to convert Nelson’s old Burrell Grocery Store into a multi-unit residential building has been handed down by city council.

The property will be changed to include one commercial unit and one residential unit at street level, while accommodating two residential units above. 

“With the way the zoning is set up with the commercial space in the building the mortgage for me or any potential future buyers would need to pay a commercial interest rate, taxes and water bills on the whole building,” says the owner in a staff report. (The owner’s name wasn’t included in the report). “This is not sustainable or profitable.”

According to the staff report, this process will increase tax revenue and with the addition of smaller construction units available to purchase in Nelson, which are generally more affordable to first time home buyers.

The original building was built back in 1901 which served as a neighborhood grocery with a single residential unit until its closure back in 2020 due to economic hardship. The building was later rezoned in 2021 to facilitate the addition of two new residential units. 

Construction is in the final stages of development and the owner has been approved to stratify and sell all four units for residential use.