The owners of Glacier House Resort are dismissing concerns about a zoning amendments at the resort that will more than triple the allowable size of cabins at the Westside Road development.
“I don’t know where that came from and who brought that up,” said owner Lia Altena in an interview. “They’re always worried there will be long-term resident use. We’re zoned as a hotel resort and we can use that space as is.”
The zoning amendment application was brought in front of the city’s Committee of the Whole on Mar. 1.
According to a report by city planning staff, the amendment would create a development permit area for the resort, increase the maximum size of the cabins 186 square metres from 50 square metres and increase the number of permitted cabins to 36 from 30. The resort had requested cabins up to 510 square metres in size.
Currently some of the cabins are bigger than permitted, which Altena attributed to a mistake in the initial zoning.
“The size of the building as we had built them was not reflected in the zoning,” she said. “Basically, we’re fixing a mistake.”
The city had no answers as to why the cabins were larger than allowed.
“I’m not sure what happened there. It’s so historical,” said assistant city planner Chris Selvig. “We don’t have much documentation on how it happened.”
Altena also said the resort had no “immediate plans” for expansion. “With the economic times as they are, we think that’s a wise decision,” she said.
The main concern brought up by council, as well as the city’s advisory planning commission, was that the larger cabins would be used as long-term residences.
Mayor David Raven questioned whether the changes could lead to permanent residency at the location. He asked whether the changes “could still lead to somebody driving a school bus out there?”
The recommendations were passed unanimously by the committee, and will now head for a council vote.
A public hearing on the matter is being held at the community centre of Mar. 17 at 6 p.m.
With files from Aaron Orlando/Times Review