An artist's rendering of a five-storey mixed-use building that never managed to break ground in Peachland. The empty lots where this project would have been built were recently sold.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED

Two properties in Peachland sold for $1 million over the combined assessed value last week. 

The adjoining properties, now empty lots, are located at the corner of Beach Avenue and 4 Street.

According to the latest figures from B.C. Assessment, 5766 Beach Ave. has a value of $781,000 and 5760 Beach Ave. is assessed at $747,000, for a total of $1,528,000. The two properties recently sold for $2,525,000, according to RE/MAX realtor Kris McLaughlin.

"Interest was steady since my team had started working on this site in September of this year," McLaughlin said in an email. "Many groups are looking for development land in Peachland, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a rise in mixed-use and multi-family developments as time goes along."

The previous owner of the property, Gaetan Royer, had aging single-family homes demolished on both properties with plans to have the property rezoned in order to build a five-storey, mixed-use building.

This 2015 photo from Google Maps shows the single-family homes that used to sit on 5766 Beach Ave. and 5760 Beach Ave. in Peachland.

Image Credit: GOOGLE MAPS

Royer succeeded in getting the property rezoned but the height of the proposed building was in violation of the district’s official community plan. So after the development permit was issued in 2017, the Friends of Beach Avenue – a group of locals opposed to the project – then had grounds to file a lawsuit against their own municipality and raised enough money to bring the issue before a judge.

But before the two sides could meet in court, the district amended the official community plan in order to reword the rules around maximum building height. The Friends of Beach Avenue subsequently dropped the lawsuit and eventually disbanded.

“The way the zoning was brought in, was in most opinions, an incorrect way to change zoning,” said Lloyd Sotas, who was part of the Friends of Beach Avenue.

READ MORE: Peachland mayor may have deciding vote on controversial waterfront condo

But despite the legal victory ground was never broken on the five-storey project. Then property was listed for sale last spring.

Sotas hopes the next developer won’t build any taller than three storeys.

“Once you got five stories on beach, someone else is going to want to build something 11 storeys next,” he said. “Then there goes the community feel of your town.”

READ MORE: Building permits show how Thompson-Okanagan communities weathered the pandemic

Another Peachland realtor Larry Guilbault, said that while the previous development permit allowed for a five-storey building, it expired before anything was built. When the next developer applies for a development permit, he doesn't expect council to allow anything taller than four-storeys.

“It could be some townhomes now, I guess that’ll be up to new owner."

Guilbault doesn’t know who the buyer is but he was told it was a business person from Peachland.

When reached for comment, Royer said it was a private sale and he did not wish to add anything further.

— This story was updated Nov. 13, at 4:10 p.m. to include comments by realtor Kris McLaughlin, and correct the sale number of the properties from $2,520,000 to $2,525,000.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Dan Walton or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2021