Tourists coming to sa国际传媒 in luxury motorhomes this summer will be able to stay at a new RV park along the banks of Mission Creek.
City council has approved plans by the Linttell family for a 10-site campground at 2075 KLO Rd. under policies designed to support agri-tourism.
The family promises to use money from the new venture to help convert an adjacent hayfield into higher value agricultural crops. City staff had opposed the application, saying it was twice as large as current regulations permit and arguing the conversion to more intensive farming should happen before the RV park was developed.
The required rezoning submission was the subject of a public hearing Tuesday night at City Hall that drew considerable public interest. The city received 52 pieces of correspondence on the issue, with 28 writers in favour and 24 against.
As well, 27 people spoke at the public hearing, most of them in favour of the application.
Among other things, supporters said there was a need for more RV campsites in sa国际传媒 and praised the proposal as a financially sensible way for the Linttells to raise the capital necessary to turn the hayfield into a more productive farm.
But critics warned there was no way for the city to ensure the Linttells would follow through on the promised conversion of the hayfield. And concern was expressed the venture would invite similar proposals to develop RV parks on other agricultural land that isn鈥檛 being actively farmed.
Council voted 6-3 to approve the RV park. In favour were Mayor Colin Basran, and councillors Charlie Hodge, Brad Sieben, Mohini Singh, Maxine DeHart and Ryan Donn. Against were councillors Luke Stack, Tracy Gray and Gail Given.
In their application to council, the Linttells said their RV park would be oriented toward the 鈥渉igh-end RV motorhome market. No tenters, long-term renters or squatters,鈥 they said.
