Showdown between local developer and RMR heats up

A power struggle between Revelstoke Mountain Resort and local developer David Evans is heating up after simmering away for the last few years.

David Evans, the developer behind the Mackenzie Village housing plan on Nichol Road, is looking to build a hotel on his property that sits adjacent to the Revelstoke Mountain Resort.

This land off the bend at Camozzi Road was included in RMR’s 2003 master plan, but it was never purchased. The property was previously part of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) and the process to annex it into the city, to access Revelstoke’s water and sewage services for development, began in April 2014. It was finalized with the province in December 2015.

The area in yellow was was successfully annexed into the City of Revelstoke, east of the green line, in December 2015. To the west of the green line is the Columbia Shuswap Regional District land. Photo: council documents

David Evans’ other property at 3452 Catherwood Road. Photo: Google Maps

RMR representatives have previously described Evans’ plan to build a treehouse hotel as “parasitic”. News that Evans has moved forward with an application to the city to rezone the land and submit a comprehensive development plan, has RMR writing strongly worded letters to the City of Revelstoke.

RMR fears that with the change in rezoning, it will open the field for Evans to expand his plans and potentially create a large commercial operation on the site, diverting traffic from RMR’s village and hotel operations.

“We perceive and visualize the irreparable harm such development would inflict on the future growth of the Revelstoke Historic Downtown and the future growth of the Resort,” Rob Toor, a lawyer for Northland Properties Corporation and RMR, wrote in a letter.

Evans isn’t backing down and has stated nothing has changed to his original plans, which is to build an alternate-styled accommodation with hotel beds and tree-pod structures, making up a total of 100 beds.

“The accusations made on it being a new downtown, are incorrect and unfounded. They’re fear tactics — fear mongering by RMR,” Evans said.

“I am not creating any alternative village, or downtown core. All the visitors and guests will be spending their extra money downtown.”

The red dot is a rough estimate of the proposed treehouse development off Camozzi Road, here depicted in the 2003 master development plans for the Revelstoke Mountain Resort, showing it was included in the original phase one development plans for the resort.

Part of Evans’ reasoning for creating a new accommodation development is to provide options for tourists. He said Revelstoke needs more accommodation and RMR is not providing it.

“We need alternative accommodation options, we know that there is a shortage of hotel beds, something that has been clearly stated by RAA and the Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce — we have a requirement for more hotel beds,” Evans said.

An issue for RMR is that they are bound by their master development agreement while Evans’ development is not beholden to such restrictions. RMR earns the right to develop a certain number of bed units by adding ski operations infrastructure at the resort. Competition for beds will delay the resort’s ability to need new beds, slowing down ski lift and other infrastructure development, RMR argues.

“If the Resort is unable to afford to build bed units at a competitive rate, the resort will not be able to add additional infrastructure, and therefore, the growth of the City of Revelstoke will be minimal,” Toor wrote.

The Revelstoke Accommodation Association has also thrown itself into the fray and voiced their opposition to Evans’ proposed development in a letter dated May 6. RAA representative Norman Langlois wrote that this type of competition is not in the best interest of Revelstoke.

“We are not against hotel development, in fact [we] recognize future hotel development is a byproduct of our ongoing success. The difference in this instance is competition fairness and the financial burden placed on RMR during each phase of development outlined in the master agreement.”

The current zoning for the Evans’ land on Camozzi Road allows for agriculture, campsite and single family housing. His rezoning application is currently with the city and is expected to be on the agenda for the June 14 city council meeting.

Evans also owns 40 acres adjoining his Camozzi Road property at 3452 Catherwood Road. He has applied to annex this property into Revelstoke City boundaries, along with his neighbour who has 13 acres at 3304 Catherwood Road, but the process has been halted until a comprehensive review detailing whether to annex a larger area to deal with the failing Thomas Brook water system, is completed.

Read the letters:

– RMR’s letter to the City of Revelstoke

– David Evan’s letter in response to RMR’s letter

– Revelstoke Accommodation Association’s letter to the City of Revelstoke

– David Evans’ letter in response to the RAA