Kaslo Village Council voted against a proposed strata RV campsite development by QP Developments, opting instead to rezone the land to align with the municipality’s Official Community Plan.
The decision, made during a meeting on Feb. 11, sets aside the purchase agreement that had been under discussion for over a year.
Mayor Suzan Hewatt clarified that the rejection does not preclude future consideration of a revised proposal. “I didn’t hear members of [the] council say ‘no’ to this development. But just not in the form that was originally presented,” Hewatt told the Nelson Star on February 14.
The proposal outlined a land exchange in which the village would sell 5.44 acres of road allowances within the South Beach property to QP Developments. In return, the developer would transfer 1.55 acres of riparian land along the Kaslo River to the village.
The project also included plans for four-to-eight housing units and a non-motorized boat launch, requiring rezoning of the industrially zoned land. The rezoning bylaw had already passed the first reading before the council’s decision.
Public concerns regarding the project centered on the scale of development, which included 80 RV spaces, as well as access to the waterfront and the demand for affordable housing.
Additionally, the land’s location within a floodplain restricts the construction of major structures, further complicating development prospects.
Hewatt also cited a perceived lack of public consultation and outstanding questions regarding consultant reports as key reasons for the council’s decision.
She noted that both the council and the public had not fully absorbed all available information, adding uncertainty about what conditions should be attached to any agreement with the developer.
Instead of moving forward with the purchase agreement, the council opted to first rezone the land to remove its current industrial designation.
This step, according to Hewatt, would provide a clearer framework for evaluating future development proposals. “Council came back around to that as being the starting point,” she said, “versus the purchase and sale agreement.”