Copeland Hotel addition gets council green light

Plans to rehabilitate the home of Revelstoke’s first mayor and build an attached hotel and restaurant was back in front of council Tuesday, Dec. 9 with alterations to the proposed development to align with Revelstoke’s Heritage Conservation Area guidelines while still meeting business needs.

Historically known as the McCarty House and currently operating as The Copeland Hotel bed and breakfast, the house is a prominent historical building at the edge of Revelstoke’s downtown, included in the Heritage Conservation Area.

The plans for a hotel addition, street level restaurant and auxiliary building were brought to council Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2024 where councillors  struggled with how to meet historical design expectations while not restricting a development the property has been zoned for since the 1980s. After lengthy debate, council deferred the project to a Committee of the Whole meeting where development requests were made for the Copeland to meet before the permit could be approved.

Paul Simon, director of development services presented the updated plans to council at the Dec. 9 meeting, noting how the developer had been actively working with staff to try and make new plans match with the design in one of Revelstoke’s key historical neighbourhoods.

“Trying to get that pitched roof on there while making it a project that is ultimately viable from a hotel and restaurant perspective did become quite a challenge,” Simon said.

“I certainly wondered, after we essentially rejected the plans, whether it just wasn’t a viable development in the heritage components,” Coun. Tim Palmer said. “But the developers have come through with a reasonable approach to that.”

Reduction of rooms from 23 to 22, a slight increase in the restaurant footprint from 93 square metres to 150 square metres, two gable roofs pitched at a 45 degree angle to match the existing pitch of the McCarty House replacing the originally planned flat roof were all key to the new Copeland Hotel proposal. The originally planned addition at the back of the property has now been scrapped to help with increased parking on the lot, with the hotel providing the required 11 as opposed to the originally planned seven and using parking supplied by the Catholic Church of St. Francis of Assisi.

The main hotel addition has been pushed forward to line up with the McCarty House and will use cement lap siding instead of brick exterior. The cement siding is a common feature found throughout Revelstoke’s heritage conservation zone. Staff originally advised the developers to set the hotel addition farther back on the property to keep the McCarty House more center focus.

“The overall changes are still intended to allow the addition to be constructed with more modern materials and building techniques but ensuring that the overall design reinforces the McCarty House as the focal point for this property,” Simon said.

Another key focus for the hotel addition will be rehabilitation work done to the entire McCarty House, including work on the porch, exterior materials and replacing a previously removed turret.

Council voted in favour of the heritage alteration permit with Coun. Aaron Orlando opposed, and council voted in favour for the development permit.