Revelstoke mayor Mark McKee was the sole opponent to the much-debated tree hotel proposed for the city, while city councillors have moved the application forward.
Developer David Evans is looking to rezone his land on Camozzi Road, near the Revelstoke Mountain Resort, to allow for a treepod and lodge development that will contain about 100 beds.
This will be on 25 per cent of his 18 acres of land. The further 75 per cent will not be developed for at least two or five years, depending on RMR’s response to Evans’ demands that they update their master development plan.
Since Evans began the process to develop his land in 2014, RMR parent company Northlands Corp. has voiced significant opposition, believing it will negatively impact on their accommodation operations and plans.
City councillors debated the merits of the application at the June 14 council meeting. Early in discussions, Mayor McKee revealed his position against the application. He explained this was because it had changed from what he said originally was planned — from a single project to potentially extending later to the whole property.
“When I was first approached about it, it was 60 units. I think even going as high as 100 units is acceptable, but other development of three or four hotels that could possibly be in there, I have big concerns about,” he said.
He also discussed his time in politics in Revelstoke, since 1990, and the difficulties the city had in getting the ski hill off the taxpayer’s cheque and developed by an external operator. He noted his prior commitments to support the resort in their expansion.
“I feel that the resort needs the support of council, city hall and the community,” he said. “I feel in a little bit of a difficult situation as I am perceived by a lot in the community as being pro-development, which I am.
“I can’t support the motion that we are moving forward.”
Coun. Linda Nixon agreed that RMR has been crucial to Revelstoke’s development, stating they have made the city a destination tourism town. But she also noted RMR had missed the boat when the Camozzi Road property was for sale, as revealed in a letter from local realtor Todd Arthurs.
“In a democratic society, that piece of land was sitting there and Mr. Evans bought it and he wants to develop it,” she said.
Coun. Duke said it wasn’t council’s job to choose winners and losers but to set policy and address the zoning in question.
“If you look at this land, what is it going to be in the future?” he said. “We look at 15 years, there is high probability that this land is going to be developed to service the ski hill. And it’s happened now, which is even more exciting than it happening in 15 years. And I’m not going to be the one that sits here and tries to slow it down, because I think this is a good use of this land.”
Mayor McKee stood strong in his stance against the development and reiterated the need to support Revelstoke’s biggest economic generator.
“You look around the room and I would say a high percentage of the people here, in the room right now, are here because the ski hill is here,” he said. “That proves to me, it shows the community, how important this is as an economic generator.”
The unique covenant that Evans has added to his application, requiring RMR to update their master development plan within two years or he begins developing the leftover 75 per cent of his land, was also discussed with some councillors concerned about its tone and legality.
But the city’s director of engineering and development services Mike Thomas said council had the power to change conditions further down the line.
“This is somewhat of an olive branch from the developer, to suggest he is willing to put the bulk of his development on hold,” Thomas said.
“This is the developer’s application, not council’s application. As council goes through first and second readings, they can make modifications as council sees fit to make it work for the community.”
All councillors except for mayor Mark McKee voted in favour of the four motions attached to the Camozzi Bench development application.
City staff will now create the bylaws which will be brought back to council. If they successfully receive first and second readings, the bylaw rezoning application will go to a public hearing.
Read the city council report here.
Previous report on this story: Judgement day for treehouse hotel as Revelstoke councillors prepare to review application
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