The heritage property on the site.

(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

An online petition asking for the B.C. government to purchase a vast piece of land along Okanagan Lake has already received more than 3,500 signatures.

The 234-acre property, known as the Chelsea Estates, has recently been put on the market and has reportedly been owned by the same family for over 50 years.

The vast tracks of land, which includes three sandy beaches, sits between Ellison Provincial Park and Clarence Road and is roughly 15 kilometres from downtown Vernon.

The Change.org petition was launched by Mike Brown and asks that the provincial government purchase the land not only to preserve it but to expand public access to Okanagan Lake and make the land part of the neighbouring Ellison Provincial Park.

The property features several sandy bays on Okanagan Lake.

(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

"Doing this will allow the ability to keep the lands in a more natural state, increase B.C. natural resources and allow for an expansion of the existing camping, hiking and mountain bike trail networks of Ellison Provincial Park with the adjoining properties. This will, in turn, offer the public more opportunity to unplug in the terrains natural and serene beauty in a controlled environment to protect the land," wrote Brown.

Shortly after the petition was launched, Vernon city councillor Scott Anderson put forward a motion June 22 requesting the province purchase the land to for a provincial park.

According to Colliers International, who has listed the property at 9747 Cameron Road, the land holds 11 separate land titles, nine of which offer waterfront. Of the 234-acre site, roughly 190 acres are within the Agricultural Land Reserve. The listing doesn't include a price, but the current accessed value is over $16.5 million.

A heritage home sits on the land as well as half a dozen cabins which were once part of the Crystal Bay Resort which ran from the 1960s until it closed in 2018.

The Change.org petition can be found here.

To see the real estate listing go here.

The property also features several cabins.

(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

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