It has been an ongoing battle around the Thompson-Okanagan amid the housing crisis with residents pushing against municipal bylaws that prevent them from living in their RVs, but the story behind an RV parked on Peachland's prestigious beachfront is a bit different. 

Victor and Sheila MacDonald live in Langley but have owned the beach lot at 4124 Beach Avenue since 1988. They’ve been parking their RV on the lot for one- or two-week stays since 2001 and no one complained.

Until 23 years later.

“We received a letter from a district bylaw officer after someone complained about the use of parking an RV on the beach lot,” Sheila said. “We believe it was driven by jealousy when a neighbour wanted to put an RV on their lot and were told ‘no’ by the city.”

The complaint sparked a review by the City of Peachland and the MacDonalds were thrown into the eye of the public in the process. So why have the MacDonalds been allowed to park the RV on their lot when bylaws prohibit it?

In 2001, the couple bought an RV and asked the City of Peachland if they could put it on the lot. They met then-mayor George Waldo who gave them permission to park the RV there in the summer months as long as they applied to the district for permits for water, sewer and electrical services.

“We applied for the District of Peachland water and sewer services, it cost $375,” Sheila said. “Superior Excavating Service Ltd did the installation and the district inspected and approved it upon completion. We didn’t use the beach lot without first asking permission and getting the proper permits.”

In 2006 Sheila said she was given permission by the director of operations with the district to install electrical services. Two peaceful decades followed where the couple, who were blueberry farmers in the lower mainland, would enjoy time off from work in beautiful Peachland.

“The season was busy in the summertime so we weren’t in Peachland often in the beginning years,” Sheila said. “We’d soak down the fields, pull our trailer to Peachland and often my husband would do a run to the coast to irrigate and come back.”

The couple has since retired to an acreage in Langley and travel to warm southern climates in the winters. This past year they spent a total of nine days in their RV in Peachland.

It hit the council table in October in the form of a question of whether Peachland should offer a temporary use permit to make it all legitimate. 

“The first time council voted the result was half and half,” Sheila said. “When we went back to the following meeting some councillors had reconsidered but one councillor spoke negatively towards us, it was very negative and even heartwrenching. Some of our neighbours showed up to support us.”

Peachland Chief administrator Joe Creron said the situation should have never happened. 

“Mayor Waldo and staff did not have the authority to allow a RV onsite that is contrary to the land use bylaw 20 plus years ago, only Council through passing a resolution has that authority,” he said.

He also confirmed the district did gave the MacDonalds approval to put the RV on the property. The bylaw department gets roughly 10 complaints every year related to RV occupancy. They were concerned allowing the temporary permit could open a flood of applications. 

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Five councillors and the mayor voted to allow the permit on Oct. 24 but Sheila said she was reluctant to even apply for it.

“We don’t feel we should be restricted on our own property, we don’t feel we did anything wrong and have followed all the rules,” she said. “We thought about fighting back but we had to weigh our options. We decided it isn’t worth upsetting the community.”

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The temporary use permit is valid for three years and comes with several conditions. The couple are the only ones allowed to occupy the lot and only from May 1 to Sept. 30 for a maximum of two weeks at a time followed by two weeks vacancy. Some sanitary system rules are included.

“It means we have to abide by the rules but we’ve been doing that all along,” Sheila said. “They said 14 days maximum per stay but that was the agreement with Waldo, we were never looking for more than that.”

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The couple prefers to be private but Sheila said while initially they tried to resolve the issue with the district directly, news of their unique situation travelled.

“Peachland is a getaway for us but the news has run with it that we are trying to be full-timers,” Sheila said. “Our grandson called us and told us we were being made to sound like we squat in Langley and hang out in Peachland. We're not squatters, we have a new Airstream and we never leave it parked empty on the lot, it is parked in a heated garage." 

Sheila said the couple showed up for two Peachland council meetings hoping to set the record straight but both times were not allotted time to give their presentation to correct the facts and “plead their case.”

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The MacDonald’s lot is surrounded by single family houses and they are not planning to build on it. It isn’t clear what decisions they will make for their property when the permit expires.

Their lot is zoned R1 Single Detached Residential that permits one single detached dwelling per lot and either a second suite or garden suite as accessory uses according the city. City staff encourages the couple to build and occupy a detached single-family home and use the lot for its intended use or put it up for sale.

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