Second thoughts hit a number of the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameensa国际传媒檚 directors when it came to a temporary use permit for a tiny home in Naramata

The permit to use the tiny home as an accessory residence had been brought forward previously by Naramata director Adrienne Fedrigo, who recused herself over the issue and lives in the tiny home.

On Jan. 16, the board had voted to allow the temporary use permit (TUP) application without conditions, with three directors opposed at that time.

On Feb. 8, the topic was reopened and the motion was revisited. This time a majority voted against letting the permit be approved without any restrictions.

Instead a vote was held that the permit be approved with conditions.

Those conditions included hooking up the tiny home to a sewage disposal system that met Interior Health standards within six months.

Concerns about the Okanagan Basin Water Boardsa国际传媒檚 one-hectare policy against accessory homes on properties without sewer connections were once again a main focus of discussion. Even with the conditions, some directors were worried about whether the OBWB would consider it still a contravention of their policy and thus risk the loss of grant opportunities.

Director Rick Knodel of Rural Oliver pointed out that the policy wasnsa国际传媒檛 the OBWBsa国际传媒檚 creation but the result of past provincial legislation.

sa国际传媒淭his is a policy from the province, and as we know the province is busy changing a lot of things right now,sa国际传媒� said Knodel. sa国际传媒淭he province needs to start deciding what theysa国际传媒檙e going to do with this regulation, at this point theysa国际传媒檝e kind of given us some confusing words about what it does.sa国际传媒�

Director Matt Taylor of Okanagan Falls noted that he had several other concerns beyond just OBWBsa国际传媒檚 policy, and that the situation wasnsa国际传媒檛 on their fellow director.

sa国际传媒淭he agent is our director, but shesa国际传媒檚 the agent for the homeowner, so when I look at the homeowner, theresa国际传媒檚 four issues in various stages. There was a deck with no permit that was corrected. There was a kitchen improvement, no permit still outstanding. Itsa国际传媒檚 a tiny home, no permit, wesa国际传媒檙e trying to get that corrected,sa国际传媒� said Taylor. sa国际传媒淲e asked if there are short term rentals. There are, theysa国际传媒檙e advertised, theresa国际传媒檚 no TUP. That to me is the background that I need to look at.sa国际传媒�

Director Riley Gettens of West Bench took issue with the claddingsa国际传媒檚 permanent appearance on the tiny home, the three year maximum length of the TUP and a lack of communication with residents over the proposal. The permit process had not received any feedback from residents as of the Jan. 16 board meeting.

sa国际传媒淪o my concern is that there hasnsa国际传媒檛 been a lot of communication because thatsa国际传媒檚 what I have heard. To do this again for three years without doing more communication and hearing from the folks in Naramata, Isa国际传媒檓 not comfortable with the three years,sa国际传媒� said Gettens. sa国际传媒淚f itsa国际传媒檚 for less time, then that does allow the province to do what theysa国际传媒檙e doing, that does allow for some proper communication because it has to go back for renewal in a year.sa国际传媒�

Gettens noted that a previous Naramata RV that had been granted a TUP for residential use in the RDOSsa国际传媒� previous term had included discussions with the areasa国际传媒檚 advisory planning committee.

A vote to allow the permit with conditions and up to three years before renewal was approved, with Gettens and Pendergraft opposed.