The regional district has granted two temporary use permits for vacation rentals in rural Oliver.
The applicant (Patricia Leslie) is seeking a temporary permit for a one-season vacation rental in a single detached dwelling at 553 Tinhorn Creek Road and 4320 Black Sage Road.
The agricultural property on Tinhorn Creek Road comprises of the dwelling, swimming pool and a small farmed area.
Regional planner J. Peachey said the vacation use is in conjunction with an existing winery, noting it does not remove any land from agricultural production.
Peachey said the use is intended to be secondary to the winery to provide accommodation for wine club members.
The planner noted that tourist accommodation use at this scale is seen as compatible with vineyard operations.
“The proposed use is not intensive in scale and is contained within an existing building. As such, the impact on the natural environment and neighbouring uses is minimized.”
However, Peachey said the addition of more commercial uses in an agricultural area can pose potential land use conflicts.
“By allowing additional uses to occur, the primary use of the property as agricultural land can become threatened through the introduction of competing interests.”
The planner expressed support of the permit with the following conditions: period of use between April and October; maximum occupancy of six, minimum number of parking stalls (three); and prohibition of camping or RV use.
The Black Sage Road property comprises of two single-detached dwellings, a winery and vineyard. Like the other application, it does not remove any land from agricultural production.
Peachey supported this application for the same reasons as the other one. It was suggested the maximum occupancy for this vacation rental be eight.
