Interlakes residents were able to get an in-depth look this week at a proposed 43-parcel subdivision on Lesser Fish Lake.
A public information meeting, held at the recommendation of Cariboo Regional District staff, laid out the proposed plans for a 494-acre parcel on Brown Road. The applicant seeks to subdivide the property into 43 lots, ranging in size from 2.5 acres to 117 acres, including seven lakefront lots. The application requires an amendment to the Interlakes Area Official Community Plan.
Property owner Diane Delves told the Free Press Tuesday that about 40 people attended the meeting, which included a presentation by consultant Nigel Hemingway and a question-and-answer session. She said the majority of the questions were around environmental impacts - for which the owners have hired a biologist to provide a wetland management plan - and road maintenance in the area.
“There are a lot of concerns about ATVs that run all over the property now,” Delves said. “But once we develop the property and have people living there, that problem will solve itself.”
Delves and her husband bought the property about a year ago when they were looking for a place to build a cabin. The family has vacationed in the South Cariboo “for decades” and recently, their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren permanently relocated to the area.
The opportunity to buy and subdivide the large parcel of land was “a unique one,” Delves said, and plenty of thought has been put into the configuration of the proposed lots.
“It was very deliberate to create this mixed neighbourhood,” she explained. “It’s got a lot of different features, there’s a ridge up top with some view lots… there are a few ponds and seasonal creeks. So we are working around those contours to try to create parcels that make sense.”
The neighbourhood will also be planned using fire smart principles, Delves noted, and they are in talks with the local fire department about installing a hydrant on the property.
One major hurdle in developing the property is a public road that will need to be constructed - at the owners’ expense - from the existing road into the property. Delves said the unbuilt road is approximately 450 metres, and the ballpark cost is around $450 per metre.
“I think that’s why this property has sat for so long,” she said, “It’s quite an undertaking to get the road onto the property.”
Feedback from the public info session will be brought back to the board ahead of second bylaw readings, not yet scheduled. A public hearing on the proposal will also take place at a later date.
melissa.smalley@100milefreepress.net
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