By: Timm Bruch
KELOWNA — Kelowna City council has approved an application that will see a new RV site built on agricultural land near Mission Creek.
The controversial topic has been under discussion since the owner of the land, Tyler Linttell, put in his request. Linttell currently does not farm on the land and argues the RV park will help supplement income as he starts growing hay.
In January, Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran was outspoken about his position against the permit at 2075 K.L.O. Road. On Tuesday, however, he changed his stance.
“I go into public hearings with an open mind,” he says. “We will never be able to please all of our residents and we know this is a controversial issue, but we felt what the applicant was putting forward will have a net benefit to agriculture and will help boost tourism in our city.”
Six of nine councilors voted in favor of the park during a lengthy meeting Tuesday night.
Recent cases in the city have seen some take advantage of the reduced property tax that farm status brings without actually farming. Of the 15 such RV parks currently in Kelowna, ten of them are currently under enforcement action by the city. The mayor says he is convinced this is not one of those situations.
“We have a lot of confidence with this applicant that they will do it right. But if they don’t, I can assure you that our Bylaw Officers will be taking notice and we will take steps to ensure that they follow the rules.”
City of Kelowna bylaws state that RV parks must be seasonal and that residents can only stay parked on the land for 30 days at a time.
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