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Directors reject proposal to subdivide Ness Lake property

Bolstered by strong opposition from neighbouring homeowners and concern raised by staff, Fraser-Fort George Regional District directors have to turned down a proposal to subdivide property along the shore of Ness Lake.
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Bolstered by strong opposition from neighbouring homeowners and concern raised by staff, Fraser-Fort George Regional District directors have to turned down a proposal to subdivide property along the shore of Ness Lake.

Cynthia and Elden Gjerde had been seeking a development permit to divide at 1.06-hectare lot at 11730 Lakeside Drive into two lots of 0.65 and 0.41 hectares respectively. Due to the size of the lots, the Gjerdes also needed to secure a variance from the FFGRD's water and sewage requirements.

However, the proposal drew nearly 30 letters expressing opposition, largely over concern the lakeshore has been overdeveloped as it stands.

A survey conducted in 2005 by the Ministry of Environment counted 265 lakeshore residences, each required to have its own onsite sewage treatment and disposal system, one letter writer stated. Allowing the proposal to go ahead will only put further strain on the lake and open the door to others seeking to subdivide their properties, others said.

In a letter to the board, the Gjerdes said their property has 175 feet of waterfront is larger than one acre - it measures 2.63 acres - and has a septic system. There are many properties with less than 100 feet of waterfront and smaller than an acre or 0.4 hectares, they also noted.

They also provided a letter from a registered onsite wastewater practitioner saying each of the two lots could hold their own sewage systems, as well as a reserve area, while meeting all setback requirements and current regulations.

However, staff noted the practitioner did not provide a detailed evaluation of the site characteristics such as soil type and permeability, depth to groundwater table and topography "which help determine the location of sewage disposal systems, especially on lots with a limited area."

The Gjerdes can still apply for a development permit provided they find a way to meet requirements without turning to a variance. FFGRD development services director Kenna Jonkman said the sewage system would have to be managed by a third party and meet regional district standards for drawing water from the lake which are slightly more stringent than the Ministry of Environment thresholds.

If they can meet those standards, the application will not require a public consultation process although it would still have to go to directors for consideration.

That proviso drew concern from Salmon River-Lakes (area A director) Warren Wilson on Thursday after directors voted to reject the initial application.

Jonkman said staff will come back with a report on how many lots could potentially be subdivided. From there, she said the board could determine next steps.

"That could potentially mean going through a rezoning process to increase the minimum parcel size," Jonkman said. "That would required public hearings, that would allow for the public to be involved."

In a letter to directors, the Gjerdes said their intent was to make the property available to family "who can then be near us and enjoy the wonderful experience of living on Ness Lake."