In the town of View Royal, British Columbia, the potential sale of a community, and developer plans, have residents wondering about their next move.
According to the Gold Stream Gazette, Eric Gieringer and his family have owned Thetis Lake Campground for the last 41 years.
On January 12th, Gieringer sent a letter to the community’s 17 homeowners that stated his desire to retire and sell the property, and that he has entered into a property sales agreement with a developer who plans to submit a rezoning application to the Town of View Royal in the near future.
“Should the rezoning application fail,” said Gieringer in the letter, “the tenancy for the mobile home owners [sic] in the park [sic] will still end and the campground will evolve to fall in line with its current zoning, which is for temporary use and tourism, not permanent residency.”
If the property is successfully rezoned, Gieringer has offered $10,000 to any tenant that agrees to completely vacate the property by the end of September.
If residents choose to remain, they will receive the minimum according to the British Columbia Tenancy Act, which is 12 months of the current monthly rent, and be given an extra year to leave.
Residents Lothar Netzel and Jacquelynn Starck say they are not surprised.
“Rumors have been going around for years,” said Netzel.
“In fact, since 2000, any new tenant arriving on the property has signed a letter indicating that the tenancy might end due to rezoning or a transition into a more traditional campground.”
Other residents are also concerned about the lack of affordable housing, as British Columbia has some of the highest costs in the nation.
“This news has stressed people out …They are getting rid of the last affordable housing in Victoria,” said Karen Hayes.
“It’s impossible. The rents are up to $900 to $1,200,” said Starck.
The application to have the property rezoned is still in its early stages and hasn’t been officially received by the Town of View Royal.
“The council will have to weigh its options with regards to potential development of the property, and that its close proximity to a nature park means we’ll be looking for dedicated park land and proper buffers as part of any proposal,” said Mayor David Screech.
He also sees both sides of the situation.
“I respect the owners’ right that they have decided that they just don’t want to run the park [sic] anymore. So unfortunately what’s happening with the tenants is a by-product of that,” said Screech.
Gieringer also understands, but says he has been upfront all along.
“I’m not happy about it. It’s not the way I thought this would all end, but we’ve been very frank with all of our tenants that we really saw no future the way this business model is,” said Gieringer.
For more on the housing situation in British Columbia, and manufactured housing as a proposed solution, click here. ##
(Image credits are as shown above.)
Submitted by RC Williams to the Daily Business News for MHProNews.
