Referring to the matter as having “a long history,” Area “D” Director Tom Siddon recommended regional district board approval for a proposed land exchange on the Kaleden waterfront at the July 17 Regional District Okanagan Similkameen board meeting.
FrontCounter BC referred the Crown land application for a land exchange / Crown Grant at the northern end of Alder Avenue. The land exchange would is taking place to formalize public access to a portion of the KVR trail that has been in dispute with a local landowner for three years.
The agreement would also facilitate environmental remediation of a controversial shoreline road that was built in the early 1990s.
“This (agreement) seems to resolve a problem that sometimes seemed unresolvable,” Siddon said to his fellow board members. “It allows for a permanent connection between Alder Street and the KVR trail to the north.”
Siddon said the agreement would also mean the controversial marsh road would no longer by used to access the nearby Sickle Point property. He said the matter involved a dispute over who owned the waterfront property.
“The province is just trying to get this nasty issue put to bed,” he said.
Siddon also noted the local Advisory Planning Committee’s approval came in a split 50-50 vote.
A Crown owned piece of property at the end of Alder Street that is currently under private party lease was not part of the land swap, Siddon said. Access to the Sickle Point property will be granted along part of the KVR portion involved in the land swap, with building restrictions applied to the Sickle Point property.