Six people wrote in to express support for a proposal to add RV accommodations to Grizzly Dog Storage’s list of services, while seven opposed the idea. Still, council decided to approve the proposal.
The new RV Park will be out in the heavy industrial park, at the Current Grizzly Dog Holdings site. Owner Will Howe says the site is already zoned for RV storage, repair, rental and sales, as well as home manufacturing, assembly and storage and caretaker accommodations, so accommodation seems a perfect fit. “We are requesting that the district allow for a small change in the zoning bylaw for the industrial park to allow for self-serve overnight RV accommodations,” he says. “As part of our business, we have invested a lot of time, effort and money to install an RV Sani dump to compliment our business and find creative ideas and solutions to our customers’ ever changing needs and suggestions. Customers are able to come to our yard, dump their sani, fill up with fresh water, get repairs made on site, get their RVs pressure washed and cleaned, store their units on site, and head home knowing their RVs are safely stored in a secure yard, and have it ready to go for their next weekend. All within the current zoning for the industrial park.”
Now, though, the plan is to have overnight accommodations. “We feel this compliments the current zoning uses seamlessly. All the infrastructure is now in place for us to offer safe secure RV accommodations and stalls to our customers.”
Allowing RV stalls in the industrial park, he says, will greatly improve the services we are able to offer our customers and help increase our customer base, but it would also help the entire community in a variety of ways.”
This includes, says Howe, opening up space at the other RV parks. Currently, he says, the Monkman RV Park winter sites are fully booked. “We intend to have a portion of our sites as winter sites.” Down at the Lions campground, there are no hook-ups, and offers family camping. “Workers and other campers require more options.”
The sites at the golf course do have power, but with Chetwynd’s golf course shutting down this year, he expects the golf course camping to be full a lot more often. “If there’s nowhere for our tourists to camp, they won’t come here. If there’s nowhere for contractors to come and stay, the mines could look to bring a camp into town.”
In addition, he says providing more campsites will help with fire protection and bylaw services. “People with RVs are camping in undesignated areas within the community, without proper sani-dump, garbage collection, or safe electrical services. People are currently living in their RVs in residential areas in the front/side yards, along district roads, in both commercial parks, the industrial park, gravel pits and town parking lots. Providing more options to these people would make bylaw enforcement’s job easier by directing these folks to safer, cleaner, regulated sites.”
Having people camping out in the industrial park would help cut down on crime in the area, says Howe. “With more people around and in the industrial park, it would cut down on times when the area is vacant and create less opportunity for crimes to occur.”
And for contractors working out at Quintette, the site is a kilometre from the turnoff to the mine.
The site would open up more rentals and housing in Tumbler Ridge, says Howe. “The current construction at Quintette and its reopening has taken up much of the available rentals in town. Our site is well suited for contracting companies to set up short term operations out of, and house their workers in their own RVs which is common in the industry. Our site is also well suited for new workers coming to town to have a place to live for two or three months while they clear their probation and look for a more permanent housing solution for them and their families.”
Finally, he says, it would increase tourism in the district. “The location of the industrial park makes marketing to ORV customers and their RV overnight needs rather seamless. They can drive in and drive out on their sleds or ORVs right from our yard and leave their campers or trailers in a safe, secure area, with no worry of disturbing other campers with early morning or late night arrivals or departures.”
He says these are just a few reasons why allowing overnight RV accommodations in that area is a great idea and solution to some of the issues the town is facing. “Allowing us the temporary use permit and giving us all an opportunity to try it out and see how it can help out in other areas besides just simple RV accommodations, without having to commit to it forever by adding it permanently to the permitted uses in the zoning bylaw.”
Councillor Norbury says the district has a reputation of not being friendly for businesses. “I don’t want to see the district at any time use its position to stop potential business growth in an area that we own an asset, for example, an RV Park.
I think it is important for government to provide an alternative, but I don’t think we should be a direct competition. I think the market should determine whether this will be a successful venture for Mr Howe and I support him and I want us to be open for business.
Councillor Hofman agrees, but says he’s not comfortable with a three year temporary use permit. “If we’re wanting this sort of business in that area, I think we should be talking about changing bylaws not making a three year temporary use. I would be okay with a temporary use permit for up to a year for essentially any type of business that wanted to operate within an area that was otherwise reasonable, but I think three years is too long to call it a temporary use permit.
Councilor Gulick says she’s wondering if the district can limit the number of stalls in the park. “There was a specific area on the plot that he submitted back in August that is not included in this package. To address some of the concerns that the respondents had, if we were to limit the amount of lots? I don’t want to hold up Mr Howe on this, but at the same time I wonder if that’s something that we could delve into, as that’s been a concern for me from the start.
Councillor Noksana says insurance will probably dictate what level of service the site can have and how many sites. “I feel a lot of my safety concerns have been mitigated, and that was my biggest concern. I’m happy to support this today.”
Councillor Norbury says he was in favour of just one year, too, but then spoke to Howe. “One of the concerns that was brought up was return on investment. It’s hard for business operators to go out and take this type of a risk and only have it valid for a year. With that thought and trying to be in alignment with supporting businesses the best that we can, we need to allow them to reduce their risk as much as possible and that would be to give them an honest shot for three years.”
Mayor Krakowka agrees. “We are still working through our zoning bylaws. It goes out for public engagement later this month. There’s where we can change some of these things. Some of the people who were against this talk about competition with the district owned asset of Monkman RV Park. That’s actually run by a non for-profit society, the TR Days Society. It’s ran by an organization, not by the municipality and a majority of the funds go back to that non-for-profit for running it on the behalf of the municipality. I don’t see where we would be competing or allowing somebody compete against the district taxpayer-owned RV Park. I think this adds to the number of RV spots within the community. Maybe not everybody wants to stay within town. And it’s my understanding there are 13 winter sites at the Monkman RV Park. I think this adds some extra sites for winter. It’s my understanding that in previous years we’ve filled those sites.”
And, he says, the new spot provides different accommodations for visitors. “Maybe they’re working, or maybe they’re exploring the backcountry—whether that’s hunters with river boats who want to make sure their stuff is in a secure location.
He says there were a number of respondents for the proposal, and a number against. “I totally understand that. When we have businesses come to our community and come up with an idea? I’m open for business. This brings people to our community with other ideas and I know it’s tough especially when certain areas aren’t zoned for certain things, but I think that’s why council has an opportunity to give a temporary use permit. I understand Councilor Hofman’s concern, but it’s a three-year term with a chance for the individual to extend it, but it also gives time for council to say ‘maybe this wasn’t the right idea.’ Yes, it’s three years, but maybe this gets added to zoning bylaws. When we have a proponent that comes up with an idea for a business, I’m more than willing to be in favor of it. There were some issues around water and sewer, but staff says there’s no concerns. There was conversations about the roadway and snow removal in winter, but staff says there are no concerns, because the proponent still has take care of the two entrance ways. It’s not done by the District of Tumbler Ridge.
Councillor Hofman says he doesn’t have a problem with that. “I understand the positive ‘we’re open for business attitude.’ My concern is if it doesn’t work. One of the direct neighbors is expressing some concerns and being the most directly impacted by this, I give what they say more weight.”
Despite his concerns, the rest of council voted in favout of the motion to grant Grizzly Dog Holdings a three year temporary use permit to run as an RV Park.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
