Developers of Sweetwater Lake Village, a proposed 450-lot development on the Koocanusa Reservoir at the mouth of the Elk River, will have to go back to the drawing board and find some room for RV campers.

Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Board members made the request after a planning committee meeting May 6 considered a rezoning proposal for the 121-hectare (300-acre) property.

In an interview Tuesday, Andrew McLeod, RDEK Manager of Planning and Development Services, said there has been a “history” of RV camping at the site and the RDEK wants the developer to investigate options so that a seasonal camping area will continue to be available at the resort.

As things stand now, the developer is proposing a number of changes to the development including the removal of any opportunities for short-term camping on the property. The planning committee gave the Sweetwater development third reading approval Thursday, but when it came to the Board Friday for final adoption and approval, the Board refused, insisting the developer include space in the development for RV’s and campers.

“We do know from the perspective of the regional district that there’s a huge demand for RV recreation down there,” said RDEK chairman David Wilks in an interview Wednesday. As a result, the Board feels it’s necessary to do what it can to meet the demand.

Wilks said the proposed Sweetwater Development would be larger than Elkford and it’s necessary for the RDEK to make some decisions so that the development won’t be disruptive for the area.

“So when you’re building a development as large as Elkford, some of the questions that come up from the Board include what are you going to do about policing? What are you going to do about ambulance? All of those things come up.”

Despite this, Wilks said the proposal will be considered again by the RDEK at it’s next Board meeting June 4 and he said he’s confident the necessary changes will be made for the development to be approved.

“I would suggest when this comes up again in June it will be approved…they (Sweetwater) have gone to great lengths to move the project forward. They’ve followed all the requirements of the RDEK and the Agricultural Land Commission…”

As for the requirement to have a RV camping area, Wilks said that will be up to the RDEK Planning Committee. “I don’t know what planning will come back with, but whatever they come back with, yes or no, one way or the other I believe the Board will move forward on this.”

Speaking from Calgary, Craig McMorran, President of Sweetwater Resorts, said whatever the RDEK decides is not a big deal to him. “If I get a hundred people that want a RV site, I’ll put a hundred in. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m not for or against anything. It’s whatever the market demand is.”

McMorran said he offered to sell lots to the 120 RV owners on the site renting from him, but he didn’t sell a single lot. “So I’m not going to put in RV lots if RV lots don’t sell and I’m not going to put in condos if condos don’t sell.”

The Calgary developer, who purchased the site about four years ago, said he offered the RV lots to the owners for $75,000 which is $25,000 below what the least expensive lot selling now.

“They were pretty big lots for $75,000 and I never sold a single one. Not one person gave me a cheque.”

McMorran said the RDEK Planning Committee unanimously approved his development proposal when it was presented to them Thursday but the Board decided to postpone approval when the proposal came before them on Friday.

“They believed somehow I had to put RV’s in on the land and there would be a minimum of RV lots that I would have to put there which is not the case . . . and the biggest fact is that I have not ruled the RV’s out. I already said I was doing that. That’s what my plan is.”

Despite the disagreement, McMorran said he’s also confident the giant development will go ahead as planned. “This is no big deal. It’s just housekeeping stuff.”

But according to the May edition of RDEK Highlights, the RDEK Board is sticking to its position that bylaw 2226 authorizing the development has to be amended “to retain a site for seasonal camping as a component of the overall development plans.”