Richard Froese
South Peace News
Big Lakes County has redistricted property to allow owners of a recreational vehicle business west of High Prairie to be able to subdivide and sell.
At its regular meeting Feb. 14, council gave second and third readings to land-use bylaw 2024-02 bylaw to redistrict part of SW 28-74-17-W5 to country residential from highway commercial.
Council received a request from Jaco and Belinda Dippenaar to amend the land-use bylaw, Pat Olansky, director of community services and planning, told council.
The land is the property of Northern Ray’s RV located on Highway 2 about two kilometres west of High Prairie.
“The applicants have advised they require the property redistricted back to country residential for the sole purpose of the bank being able to complete an appraisal of the property as country residential for a pending sale of a portion of the property approved as a subdivision,” Olansky said.
“Reddistricting the entire parcel would revert the RV business back to land-use bylaw non-compliance.
“Therefore, the applicants are agreeable to redistrict only the area that is not occupied by the RV business.”
Olansky added the property was redistricted to highway commercial from country residential in 2022 to bring the parcel into compliance with the land-use bylaw.
Council adopted the bylaw after a quiet public hearing.
“We received no comments from neighbouring property owners,” Olansky said.
She noted similar redistricting was done several years ago.
“We’ve done something similar for Randy’s Auto Body out west,” Olansky said.
The Dippenaar parcel is the site of an existing RV storage, parts and service business and dwelling that has been in operation for more than 20 years. The Dippenaars bought the business and property in December 2017 from Ray and Gisele Frey, who started the business in 2000.
“The general purpose of the country residential district is to provide for traditional country residential living on rural lands in a manner that does not detract from the character of the surrounding agricultural community,” Olansky told council.
Highway commercial allows for development that would accommodate vehicle traffic along highways and major roadways in a manner that does conflict with other land uses or highway safety, Olansky explained.