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Re-zoning at Wasa spurs community debate
By Nowell Berg
An upcoming public hearing will pit those opposed to increased stress on Wasa Lake with those wanting to re-zone 23 hectares of land along Highway 93/95 just west of the lake.
In summer 2016, Mr. Thomas Kiy made an application to the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) for a re-zoning of land he owns that is currently zoned for a golf course. In August, Kiy failed to attend a public hearing where a majority of the 35 attendees opposed the re-zoning application.
Opposition to the re-zoning arose from a lack of details on Kiy’s plans for the land, an absence of any concrete information of water wells and septic systems and the safety hazard posed by hundreds of people and vehicles trying to cross the highway to gain access to the lake. Additionally, Wasa residents were concerned about the affects of such a large development on the aquifer and ground water along with the impact of another 400 plus summer residents, boats and ATVs.
The upcoming public hearing will allow Wasa residents to hear Kiy’s plans for the land. In a letter dated November 1, 2016, addressed to the RDEK, Kiy stated, “We propose a maximum number of 120 RV sites.” Although not currently planned, his proposal would also allow for the construction of 24 cottages on the land.
Several residents have already expressed concern regarding the short time between hearing detailed development plans and the public hearing. The latter immediately follows the opening information session.
The Wasa Lake Land Improvement District (WLLID) has taken a position that “a trustee attend the rezoning meeting to ask RDEK to postpone the decision on [Mr. Kiy’s] application until after the WLLID board has had an opportunity to review the application.”
Cliff Youngs, WLLID board chair, “urges Wasa property owners to attend the meeting and become informed about the proposed re-zoning changes.”
Other Wasa residents agree that any re-zoning decision should be postponed until both WLLID and RDEK had sufficient time to assess the environmental impact of a 120 unit RV campground on the quantity and quality of water in Wasa Lake.
The public hearing takes place on January 24, with a 7 p.m. start time at the Wasa Community Hall.
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