Back again: Illegal RV Parks on ALR

[wanderer]

There are other properties besides agriculture land which are better suited for RV Parks and can be better regulated. It's easier to build on agriculture land is not a good reason. Agriculture land is not "empty" land, it has a use which we should ALL value.

[GordonH]

There are other properties besides agriculture land which are better suited for RV Parks and can be better regulated. It's easier to build on agriculture land is not a good reason. Agriculture land is not "empty" land, it has a use which we should ALL value.

I know of area about 10 hectares (just shy of 25 acres) in size next to main city road (CoK) that is in ALR, has sat empty (Flat bottom land) of any farming for nearly 20 years if not longer.

[WalterWhite]

First off this post is not directed at any particular owner of ALR land.

IMO RV Parks should never have been allowed on land in Kelowna that is designated agriculture. It's a Pandora's box I believe the city is now trying to close. Many farms have pieces of land that are not arable, often there are other agricultural uses for it such as barns, sheds, storage, parking of equipment, etc. NOT RV Parks. If you don't feel you can't survive on agriculture land you should never have bought in to it. If you inherited it then sell it and use the proceeds to buy something you can make money on within your skill set. There are many types of agriculture, in this case it sounds like keeping cattle on that piece of land in the summer was the best alternative for keeping it as agriculture, there are agriculture uses if you are imaginative and skilled enough. RV Parks on agriculture land should never have been allowed by the city in the first place. Wasn't it a city counselor who developed the first one? Many of these RV Parks on agriculture land have had work done making it irrevocably non arable ... permanent septic or sewer lines, rock crush and asphalt grindings for fill, etc. To remediate the land so it again has some semblance of arability is claimed to be cost restrictive, of course after the fact of work being done destroying the land. At times it seems these things have been done with the very intent to make it non arable. Many speculators have used these methods to get their land out of the ALR, and in the past the city may have been complicit. My impression is they are trying to change that.

If land is designated agriculture, if it is in the ALR, then people who purchase it have to know this and believe it will stay this way. Do not purchase agriculture land if you ultimately have some other agenda for it. Do not speculate that down the road you will be able to develop it. Do not cry in the future that the value of the land is devalued because of the ALR and you can't sell it to a developer, you knew that you were buying agriculture land in the first place. This has happened too many times in this city, and in this province. Unlike the prairies BC's arable land is limited by mountains, this is the reason we should be protecting all ALR land. Agriculture land in our city is a benefit to the sustainability and prosperity of our city, it's time people realized this.

I would have to say I respectfully disagree. This isn't an issue the city created, as the Pandora's Box was initially created by the ALC by permitting the use - but leaving much of the guidelines up to individual municipalities which simply had no template in place for legislating these parks until it got to the point it did with Cal. To say the areas within the property are better suited for barns shops etc. is fine - however these are all expenses, when the main objective behind creating these parks was to offset some of the financial impacts a farmer can be exposed to. Keep in mind a number of these properties had been economically viable as strictly agricultural operations for many years past, however there are a number of economic factors influencing the gradual but steady decline of profitability from small agricultural operations. These economic factors have been one of the driving forces behind the "buy local" and 100 Mile Diet marketing from BC Growers. I urge anyone sincerely interested in educating themselves further on the matter to visit and inquire at the other existing parks, specifically in the East Kelowna area as good examples and stark contrasts to the subject of this particular thread and see just how integrated these parks can, and should, be with the daily agricultural operations. There are experiences to be had working alongside the property owners, having guided tours of their operations as well as enjoying the products onsite such as farm fresh eggs, fruits and vegetables.

[khutchi]

First off this post is not directed at any particular owner of ALR land.

IMO RV Parks should never have been allowed on land in Kelowna that is designated agriculture. It's a Pandora's box I believe the city is now trying to close. Many farms have pieces of land that are not arable, often there are other agricultural uses for it such as barns, sheds, storage, parking of equipment, etc. NOT RV Parks. If you don't feel you can't survive on agriculture land you should never have bought in to it. If you inherited it then sell it and use the proceeds to buy something you can make money on within your skill set. There are many types of agriculture, in this case it sounds like keeping cattle on that piece of land in the summer was the best alternative for keeping it as agriculture, there are agriculture uses if you are imaginative and skilled enough. RV Parks on agriculture land should never have been allowed by the city in the first place. Wasn't it a city counselor who developed the first one? Many of these RV Parks on agriculture land have had work done making it irrevocably non arable ... permanent septic or sewer lines, rock crush and asphalt grindings for fill, etc. To remediate the land so it again has some semblance of arability is claimed to be cost restrictive, of course after the fact of work being done destroying the land. At times it seems these things have been done with the very intent to make it non arable. Many speculators have used these methods to get their land out of the ALR, and in the past the city may have been complicit. My impression is they are trying to change that.

If land is designated agriculture, if it is in the ALR, then people who purchase it have to know this and believe it will stay this way. Do not purchase agriculture land if you ultimately have some other agenda for it. Do not speculate that down the road you will be able to develop it. Do not cry in the future that the value of the land is devalued because of the ALR and you can't sell it to a developer, you knew that you were buying agriculture land in the first place. This has happened too many times in this city, and in this province. Unlike the prairies BC's arable land is limited by mountains, this is the reason we should be protecting all ALR land. Agriculture land in our city is a benefit to the sustainability and prosperity of our city, it's time people realized this.

Well I'm not sure if it was the first one ... but oh yes who could forgot Graeme 'I'm grand-fathered' James. How you can work as a city councillor in one term, expect everyone to embrace your ordinances, and then hide behind grandfathering to shirk the decisions of a successive council is a little baffling.

[713mace]

The tenants of Calvin's RV PARK are going to be filing or have already filed complaints with the BCHRT. As of Dec. 1st, 2017 when everyone is supposed to leave Kuiper's property and the BCHRT filing may keep those tenants here longer than what Walter White and City Hall Hired Goons want. Eventually, the Sheriff may be brought in, but ultimately why City Hall will pay $5000 per individual abode for vacating fees along with the public taxpayer's money to the Supreme Court only to prove they can violate a person civil rights is beyond me? This being another Agri-Genomics ploy by members of the Ministry of Argriculture BC and Kelwona City Hall to uproot people in every mainstream part of society- who otherwise who listen and abide by the rules of being residents- at Calvin's Farm. City Hall treat these uprooted few as Livestock or Cattle. This being the issue to treat people like livestock, in a zero% vacancy rate in Kelowna is why a BCHRT complaint is necessary to change these 'fly by night by-laws. Have not made a single attempt to contact or relocate any of the RV Park's Tenants.

[LTD]

fly by night laws , are you joking? the only person to blame here is the property owner who felt it was better to skirt around the laws as long as he could then ask for forgiveness and fill out an application after getting caught. As much as I feel bad for the folks who have to move they have one person they should be angry at.

[voice of reason]

its not like you can make enough money to live off of a hay field.they should just get rid of the ALR

[WalterWhite]

The tenants of Calvin's RV PARK are going to be filing or have already filed complaints with the BCHRT. As of Dec. 1st, 2017 when everyone is supposed to leave Kuiper's property and the BCHRT filing may keep those tenants here longer than what Walter White and City Hall Hired Goons want. Eventually, the Sheriff may be brought in, but ultimately why City Hall will pay $5000 per individual abode for vacating fees along with the public taxpayer's money to the Supreme Court only to prove they can violate a person civil rights is beyond me? This being another Agri-Genomics ploy by members of the Ministry of Argriculture BC and Kelwona City Hall to uproot people in every mainstream part of society- who otherwise who listen and abide by the rules of being residents- at Calvin's Farm. City Hall treat these uprooted few as Livestock or Cattle. This being the issue to treat people like livestock, in a zero% vacancy rate in Kelowna is why a BCHRT complaint is necessary to change these 'fly by night by-laws. Have not made a single attempt to contact or relocate any of the RV Park's Tenants.

RV PARK? Typing it in capitals still doesn't make it legitimate. Civil rights violations? Lol - good luck with that, because these so-called "fly-by-night" rules have been in place long before Cal's Drunken Alpaca RV Park (yes, that actually was the name Cal originally chose) sprung up. It's all fine and dandy you mainstream members of society otherwise abide by the rules of being residents - the problem, as has been pointed out a number of times by a number of posters, is that your landlord Cal - did not. Of course no attempts to contact or relocate anyone have been made because, wait for it - it's no one's responsibility - other than Cal's. Who knows, maybe he'll offer to tow you and your trailer up into the bush and simply abandon it and you, just like he apparently did to one of the previous tenants. Such a criminal caring and generous gesture. If actually true, well, talk about treating people like livestock. Cal's the sole reason for your problems - not society, not the City of Kelowna or their Goon Squad and not the Ministry of Agriculture and their evil agrigenomics plans to use you as guinea pigs in some clandestine socio-lab test. I'm beginning to think maybe you've been imbibing in some of the plonk fermenting up on the corner of the property along with the alpacas.

[Padre]

Padre, sorry that your going to be evicted, but Bylaws are in place for a reason...

So tell me the reason for this Bylaw... So tourist have a place to park in the summer ?

The reason Mr Kuiper got away from tourist parking is he was tired of having to deal with noise complaints at least once a month from *bleep* tourist that just come to party and don't give a *bleep*, leave a mess he has to cleanup !! ..." that's just bad clientele " .... there's an *bleep* in every group ... when we leave he is shutting down permanently because of this.

We have a community here , build of a diversity of ppl , some of them with mental health issues that LITERALLY have no place to go ( but that's not ur problem , just city politics and poor funding for the marginalized ) ... Mr Kuiper gives these ppl a place to call home, he employs them on the property giving them shelter, money and a purpose !! Call interior Health and ask them how they feel about this park ... !!!

I'll be fine, I own my RV, and have options ( other than living in Kelowna where i work ), but there r ppl here here who don't.... the Bylaw needs exceptions !!!

[Padre]

P.S. there r 5 other RV Parks in non-compliance and Calvin has NEVER towed anyone into the bush & abandon them ( that's just *bleep* blasphemy ) get uf facts straight b4 u comment....

[Padre]

There are other properties besides agriculture land which are better suited for RV Parks and can be better regulated. It's easier to build on agriculture land is not a good reason. Agriculture land is not "empty" land, it has a use which we should ALL value.

I know of area about 10 hectares (just shy of 25 acres) in size next to main city road (CoK) that is in ALR, has sat empty (Flat bottom land) of any farming for nearly 20 years if not longer.

This RV Park sits on land unusable for agriculture that's why he put it here

[alanjh595]

There are other properties besides agriculture land which are better suited for RV Parks and can be better regulated. It's easier to build on agriculture land is not a good reason. Agriculture land is not "empty" land, it has a use which we should ALL value.

I know of area about 10 hectares (just shy of 25 acres) in size next to main city road (CoK) that is in ALR, has sat empty (Flat bottom land) of any farming for nearly 20 years if not longer.

This RV Park sits on land unusable for agriculture that's why he put it here

and you have personal knowledge of this piece of land? If trees can grow on the South slope of Dilworth mountain without any human intervention/assistance......what agricultural expertise do you have to substantiate that statement?

What conditions make it "unusable?

[LTD]

well I guess he shoulda put his shop or wine tasting building there instead or he should have applied for the appropriate permits instead of trying to screw the system quit trying to make like the property owner isn't to blame here that's exactly who you should be angry with

[Padre]

and you have personal knowledge of this piece of land? If trees can grow on the South slope of Dilworth mountain without any human intervention/assistance......what agricultural expertise do you have to substantiate that statement?

What conditions make it "unusable?

The fact Ive lived thru the spring flooding on "Gully RD" west of June Springs. we all know how well crops grow underwater ....maybe he should start a rice plantation ... the reason it is affordable because it not frigging pretty, and that's why the city wants it gone

[Padre]

5 other RV Parks in non-comp.... .... .... ....