CITY OF NELSON RECEIVES SIGNIFICANT CBT FUNDING FOR RAILTOWN PLAZA DEVELOPMENT

September 18, 2019 (Nelson, BC) - The City of Nelson, in partnership with the Nelson & District Chamber of Commerce, is pleased to announce receipt of $219,156 from the Columbia Basin Trust’s Community Outdoor Revitalization program. This grant will be used to further develop and enhance Railtown Plaza, an outdoor public plaza and event space beside the Nelson & District Visitor Centre.

Nelson’s Railtown Plaza will reflect the industrial past of Railtown and showcase the region’s character, heritage, and cultural diversity. Landscaping, seating areas, lighting, decorative paving, and artistic fencing will transform the space into a beautiful, welcoming and functional area, available and accessible to the whole community, and will greatly enhance tourists’ first impressions of our city. Work will begin this September and continue through the spring and summer of 2020.

“We’re thrilled to receive this funding from the CBT as it allows us to expand on the already significant work that has gone into making Railtown a destination area for both visitors and locals,” says Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tom Thomson. “We will build on the success of this summer’s Thursday Socials as a dynamic venue for concerts, festivals, markets, and other community events.”

The CPR Station was on its way to demolition before the City and the Nelson & District Chamber of Commerce (along with other partners) undertook a restoration project to bring the building back to life. Now the building designated a Canadian Federal historic site has become a cornerstone of the Railtown neighbourhood, and the lynchpin to the overall development plan for this area.

The Railtown Plaza is the final phase of the Regional Visitor Gateway (RVG) project - the restoration initiative of the CPR Station - which in turn is part of a broader project - the City of Nelson’s Railtown Sustainable Neighbourhood Action Plan (SNAP), completed in 2016. The Railtown SNAP has been key to attracting new development and investment in Railtown, contributing to a strong, vibrant downtown core, establishing better connections to the downtown, and providing the catalyst for new economic development and diversification in both our municipality and region.

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Media Contact: 

Joy Barrett,

Cultural Development Officer

City of Nelson
cultural@nelson.ca

Tel: 250-354-9169