The majority of Baker Street properties are likely locally owned, according to data provided by BC Assessment.
Of the 101 properties on Baker between Highway 3A and Cedar Street, 81 have at least one owner with a mailing address located in Nelson, Procter, Balfour, Bonnington or the Slocan Valley.
Seventy-two properties are owned by corporations or societies, while 29 are owned by individuals. Eighty-seven properties are commercial, eight are residential and six are for parking.
Privacy rules allow for little information about a property owner other than a mailing address, which can itself be misleading.
Sharlynn Hill, deputy assessor for the Kootenay Columbia region with BC Assessment, said a mailing address doesn’t necessarily correlate to an owner’s location, only where they want mail sent.
“It may be somewhat indicative but it’s not as cut and dried as to have a really relied upon statistic,” said Hill.
The data also doesn’t show how many properties are owned by the same person or corporation.
Kootenay Association of Realtors president Chuck Bennett said a lack of commercial space in the city, the tourism draw of Baker Street and high demand means owners tend to keep their properties.
“It doesn’t change hands because it’s a great investment,” he said. “You see the odd property changing hands on Baker Street and it’s over a million dollars. They are paying good money for those and it’s a good investment.”
BC Assessment also provided mailing address data for the entire city. There are 4,780 properties in Nelson, of which 566 have owner addresses outside the local area.
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@tyler_harper | tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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