When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Pine Ridge Mountain Resort, the 153-acre resort development overlooking Lake Windermere, has applied to rezone sections of their property in Invermere, specifically where a landfill was once located. Whereas the current zoning only allows for housing and lodging use on the property, the change will allow for the land to be utilized for recreational purposes. And because regulations forbid the construction of buildings overtop an old landfill site, a golf course, RV park or zipline — which require no buildings — could bring the old dump back to life.
The proposal, Amendment Bylaw 1472, has gone through first and second reading and will be going to public hearing, when developers will break down the process for those in attendance.
“They’d like their zoning to allow for a nine-hole kind of Par 3 family golf course,” District of Invermere mayor Gerry Taft said to The Valley Echo.
“(While) the amendments may not fit entirely with the zipline at the moment, in the future they’re looking at implementing it,” he said.
Pine Ridge is also planning to allow campers a place to stay with the addition of a small RV park, something Taft said council is interested in having in town.
Asked his opinion on the zoning bylaw, Taft said he and council are interested to hear the opinions of neighbours through the public hearing process.
“But, generally, we’re pretty supportive of Pine Ridge trying to generate more activity and interest in the area,” he said, “and they’re hoping this will allow them to offer more of an amenity-recreation product so that they can try and market the real estate and have some of their units used on more of a year-round basis, so we’re supportive of that concept.”
If the zoning bylaw is passed, Taft said that, because no additional buildings can be constructed, there will be no real change in density.
“Whether it’s a grassy area or a golf course,” he added.
