Plans by the new owners of the Lucky Strike RV Camp to subdivide and upgrade their Interlakes property have led to concerns from long-term residents, particularly over fencing and the potential impacts on the area’s water, sewer and roads.
Owners Aaron Abrahamson and Gary Grant are seeking to rezone the 116-acre parcel at 8410 Wilson Lake Rd. to expand the existing commercial resort and create “residential opportunities” by subdividing the property into one tourist-commercial lot, seven rural residential lots and a remainder lot split zoned as tourist commercial and rural residential.
The proposal, which requires an amendment to the Interlakes Area Official Community Plan, is slated to go to the Cariboo Regional District Board Friday for third reading, following a public hearing last month.
Abrahamson, who lives in West Kelowna, said they would like to reinstate the resort to its “former glory” as a tourist destination. The residential lots, he said, would help pay for the upgrades of the commercial operations.
“It just makes sense for us. If we sell off some of it, it will free up some money for us to build cabins on the south side of the lake,” he said. “It’s a pretty significant undertaking.”
The property is currently being used as a commercial resort with campsites and RV sites on the tourist commercial zoned area. The rest of the property is vacant with dense tree coverage.
Many residents expressed concerns that the proposed plans could increase traffic on Wilson Road, which is in poor condition, put more pressure on the area’s water and septic systems and affect salmon spawning streams.
The resort, located around Wilson Lake with wetlands and Donald Creek flowing across the property, is considered to be within an environmentally sensitive area and a high-value wetland for moose.
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Resident Mat Ounpuu worries approval of this project could lead to another Deka Lake, with more properties being subdivided throughout the area, and traditional paths to public B.C. lakes blocked off.
At the moment, the Interlakes Area Official Community Plan allows for 10 acre lots to retain the rural flavour of the area, but many of these new lots will be smaller.
“We were there 30 years ago when they (the previous owners) did the identical thing,” Ounpuu said. “This whole thing is a bondoggle. Where will the water come from? Where will the sewage go?”
Residents Ken and Berit Mock said in a letter that they sided with the “bulk of our neighbours” who would support the proposal if environmental concerns for sewer and water were met and the roads improved.
However, they took issue with a letter from realtor Brad Potter who urged the CRD to approve the project because of a “lack of inventory” of lots for sale in the South Cariboo amid increasing demand.
“We would caution that it is not the responsibility of the council or the current population of the Cariboo district to create new inventory to fulfill this demand,” the Mocks wrote.
CRD director Willow McDonald declined to comment on the project ahead of the CRD board meeting.
However, she noted there is a need to upgrade the OCP if they want to grow the community and local tax base.
kelly.sinoski@100milefreepress.net
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