ALC says no to Vaseux Lake campground plan

Decision

[27] The Okanagan Panel of the Agricultural Land Commission refuses the Proposal to exclude 1.2 ha of the 4.3 ha Property in order to develop a 35 unit campground on the Property.

[28] These are the unanimous reasons of the Panel.

[29] A decision of the Panel is a decision of the Commission pursuant to s. 11.1(3) of the
ALC Act

[30] Resolution #394/2020

Released on August 17, 2020

Application

The Application submits that the Proposal area was historically occupied by a campground and has been previously approved by the Commission for exclusion and residential development through multiple decisions between 2006 and 2010. However, the campground is not currently operating and is estimated to not have operated since the
1980s or 1990s.

Of the 1.2 ha proposed for exclusion, 0.9 ha is proposed to be for campground use with 35 RV units, and 0.3 ha is proposed to be for the foreshore riparian area.

35 pad trailer park within 20 feet of lake-shore will have severe consequences for Vaseux Lake environment

The Vaseux Lake Stewardship Association (VLSA) and 98% of Vaseux Lake homeowners are appalled by the proposal at 3500 Highway 97.

An application has been submitted requesting the exclusion from the Agricultural Land Reserve of land at 1.2 hectares of Lot 1, sections 16 & 21; township 85 SDYD plan 1340 located at 3500 Highway 97 to create a large commercial trailer park with sewage, water and electricity.

The Vaseux Lake Stewardship Association has identified the following environmental concerns which have been articulated to the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen:

1) A trailer park with cement pads for 35 trailers within 20 feet of the shoreline will result in destruction of the sensitive shoreline ecosystem. Anywhere from 50 to over 100 individuals can be expected at the trailer park year-round and they will have access to the shoreline which is presently a bird habitat.

2) In 2010, the Agricultural Land Commission turned down a 12-unit complex on the same property. The Association believes a 35-pad trailer park would have an even more serious environmental impact, especially when considering sewage treatment and the dangers of sewage seeping into Vaseux Lake.

3) In both 2017 and 2018, flooding occurred on Highway 97, originating from a creek just north of where the septic field is being planned. An independent study needs to be done to assess how future flooding will affect any wastewater treatment system on the property.

4) Public access onto and off Highway 97 at the property is dangerous. Entrance from the south has limited line-of-sight and pulling onto Highway 97 with slow-moving vehicles towing trailers where some vehicles are travelling over 100 km/hr has the potential to cause serious collisions.

5) It is the Association’s position that the property in question is zoned within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) and that this designation is there to protect agricultural land. The owner as per the Electoral Area “D” OCP bylaw 9.2.13 must provide a report by a qualified Professional Agrologist stating the property is incorrectly designated. As the land had orchards in the past and presently has a vineyard, the Association questions the legitimacy of this request to change the designation of the land out of the ALR.

The Vaseux Lake Stewardship Association strongly believes that Vaseux Lake bird and wildlife conservation should take precedence over allowing large commercial trailer parks in a bird sanctuary surrounded by lands protected for wildlife.