Don Urquhart
Times-Chronicle
Another hotbed issue for Osoyoos town council is the issue of so-called park model homes.
At issue are the significant numbers of legally non-conforming units in the community. Planning director Gina MacKay noted that the department continues to receive inquiries about the placement of these park models on properties within the Recreation Vehicle Park/Campground Zone (C-5).
The C-5 zone was intended to accommodate recreation vehicle parks and campgrounds and was not intended to provide for year-round accommodation or the placement of permanent (or semi-permanent) units on individual RV sites.
Coun. Jim King commented: “There are literally dozens and dozens of violators in our community, and those are just the ones I know of personally. We need to have a discussion about enforcement, that’s going to ultimately be our biggest challenge.
“If we think we’re going to go into these RV parks and start kicking people out, hooking up tow trucks and pulling them out of there, that’s never going to happen… it’s a highly controversial issue and there are militant people,” he said.
MacKay agreed, noting the intent was not to launch into some sort of enforcement effort, but more to highlight the challenge that the department faces, partly because of ambiguity, and amend the Zoning Bylaw to provide a clear definition of a recreational vehicle.
“The intent of the existing Zoning Bylaw is to not allow for ongoing permanent location,” she added.
Council also noted safety concerns because of the congestion in these parks due to non-conforming add-ons.
For existing park models that are in place with a building permit, they will be grandfathered. Park models that were placed in position without a building permit will be considered non-conforming.
“The importance of that is that we’ve always required a building permit for a park model in a park in our community,” MacKay said.
The issue is caught in somewhat of a policy limbo, however, as the Town of Osoyoos is currently in the process of preparing a new Official Community Plan (OCP) under which this issue will be directly impacted.
MacKay highlighted that the issue of park models also brings up “tiny homes” which currently are not allowed anywhere in Osoyoos. These tiny homes do not meet building requirements, just as a park model does not meet building code requirements to be a permanent residence.
“A tiny home is not a residence either, so it’s definitely going to be a challenge,” MacKay said.
With a new OCP she said a definition of tiny homes will be included “and we may in fact allow tiny homes in some areas.”
Council approved first and second reading for zoning amendments and notification of public hearings over the park model problem.
Coun. Myers Bennett recused himself from the session as he currently owns a residence in such an environment.
