Frustration is mounting among leaseholders that feel caught in the middle of a battle between a developer and the County of Stettler.
A stop work order was issued to the Paradise Shores RV Resort on May 17 by the Municipal Planning Commission deciding the developer had not been following through on certain requirements of its development permit. That permit was altered significantly, chopping the number of sites to 168 from the original 750, following a decision last November by the Subdivision Development Appeal Board (SDAB).
“Initially, I was quite shocked that the meeting was held because I hadn’t heard anything about it in advance,” said Christina Friesen, one of many that lease lots from Paradise Shores.
“The fact that it had happened was shared on a group Facebook page by one of the other leaseholders. The words that I have used to describe their decision was that they had a ‘manufactured crisis.’”
The current situation began on May 2, when the county conducted an inspection at Paradise Shores to see if it complied with its land use bylaw.
According to a county release, there were issues with utility systems, lack of a geotechnical report and plans for stormwater management and landscaping as well as no safety code permits, leading to the stop work order being issued.
The SDAB decision is currently being challenged in the courts by Paradise Shores. A decision has not yet been made on whether a court will hear the matter.
For Friesen, the current impasse is frustrating as it’s stalling her family’s ability to enjoy time at the site.
“I think I was probably one of the first five people to buy (a lease),” said Friesen, who lives in Calgary.
“I’ve been watching this for a long time. I purchased a lease in February 2018.
She added that many who hold leases currently are angry now and likely lashing out, much like many residents in the nearby summer villages did in voicing serious concerns when the development was first introduced.
Friesen explained many leaseholders simply stood back and let those protests run their course, even though the leaseholders felt — and still feel — like they were under attack.
“A lot of the other leaseholders are very, very committed — they love the area, they love Buffalo Lake. We’ve had a couple of wonderful people who really reached out and tried to build bridges with the local community,” she said.
“For me, I’d like to have my lot at the lake. It’s something my family has looked forward to for a long time.”
But at this point, Friesen is having some misgivings about the lease and isn’t holding out hope for a resolution.
“The only people that are going to win here are the lawyers. For the leasees, we are just kind of caught in the middle,” she said.
“We were just looking for a place for our families to enjoy a spot on the lake. As you know, most of the lakes that are swimmable or boatable in Alberta are already heavily developed. It’s been shown in other lakes in Alberta that we aren’t destroying the environment by camping around them.”
Friesen added she doesn’t understand why the resistance to development that helps the local economy.
For now though, it’s simply wait for the possible appeal hearing and then see what happens.
“Our family is going to have a decision to make. We bought a larger RV last year and I’m not comfortable towing it, so now I have to decide if I should try and re-sell it and wait and buy a new one if this goes ahead, because I don’t know how long this is going to take.” she said.