Crooked Lake Ranch, off Lee Road on Webb Lake, was the home of Borre and Gerardine Van Doorninck.
Their 154-acre horse ranch was sold to Miles and Ashley Morgan-Dann who had spent many years vacationing at the ranch and had gone to school with the Van Doorninck’s late son, Eric.
The Dann family hosted an information meeting at Interlakes Hall on June 1 to detail their vision for the ranch. As explained by their surveyor Bill Chapman, the land is not in the Agricultural Land Reserve, but does have to conform to “agricultural usage” as per the Interlakes Official Community Plan.
The property’s current agricultural zoning – minimum lot size of 80 acres – would need rezoning to decrease this requirement. Their planned strata development is intended to protect the property’s agricultural usage by making 11 people responsible for it rather than one; and by doubling the current hay production.
The main ranch house and outbuildings, on some 17 acres, would remain fee simple in the name of the Danns. There would be 11 two-plus-acre strata lots, each with a 1,200 square foot cabin and a small corral attached; and each would be 125 feet from its neighbour.
The remaining 87 acres would be common property for use by all owners and their horses. Owners would pay $750 a month for maintenance and care-taking of their horses. This was to ensure the development “remains a horse ranch in perpetuity” and environmentally sensitive.
Each owner would have 1/11th vote and responsibility for maintaining the agricultural status of the property.
Most of the attendees at the meeting were opposed to the development because “the density is too much for these little lakes.” Of particular concern were septic and water services.
Chapman noted they could not cover these factors until the overall plan was approved in principle, but they envisaged septic fields and a holding tank that would be pumped out. He also implied that each cabin would have a drilled well, and that water is not a problem as the current dwelling has a 300-foot drilled well with water 30 feet down.
He added the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure would require improvements to the Highway 24/Lee Road intersection.
One attendee, who described herself as “violently opposed,” said “there are hundreds of small properties for sale and we don’t need to develop more.”
Cariboo Regional District (CRD) Area L Director Bruce Rattray and several of his advisory planning committee members were in attendance to hear residents’ opinions.
Any public hearing on this matter will take place later if, and after, the plan passes two readings by the CRD.
