Campground proposal faces strong opposition
Scots Bay residents voice concerns at Kings planning advisory session
Emotions ran high at a planning advisory meeting where a controversial proposal for a campground in Scots Bay was reviewed.
The prevailing sentiment of several speakers during the public comment period that followed the March 12 County of Kings planning advisory committee (PAC) meeting was that they aren’t against the idea of a social enterprise campground. They
proposed just don’t want it in the location.
Planning and Development Services manager Laura Mosher made a presentation to PAC. She said staff are confident that the application is in keeping with the Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS).
Julie Skaling, of Breiel Holdings Ltd., has applied for a development agreement that would allow for a campground at 5734 Highway 358 in Scots Bay. The subject property is about 98 acres, but not all of the land would be used for the campground.
It would be developed in three phases and feature a mix of 100 tenting and recreational vehicle (RV) sites and cabins. So-called “back country” camping sites would be for tents only.
Following the presentation, PAC members voted unanimously to forward the application to council for initial consideration. Following that, the matter would go to a public hearing before council gives second and final consideration.
PROPONENT HOPES FOR ‘DIRECT DIALOGUE’
Skaling and her husband Jeff purchased the subject property in 2021 following the death of her father, who wanted the land to stay in the family. It’s been in the family for several generations. After listening to the speakers at the PAC meeting, she said that it was “hard to hear all of this.”
“The intention was to try to provide opportunities for my daughter and for other people who don’t have opportunities,” Skaling said.
She said she has fond memories of camping there and having it be a place where people come together. She wants people to be able to experience the property as “a place to reconnect” and didn’t want to see it go unused.
Skaling said most of the concerns that have been expressed came to her through the municipality. She has tried to follow process and do what she was supposed to do to see if they could move the proposal forward.
“I’m so sorry for what everybody has to go through.
I’m so sorry for the community, that you feel this way, and I legitimately am not trying to make your lives worse,” Skaling said. “I’m not trying to destroy farmland; it was just something to try to help.”
She said it would be nice to have a direct dialogue with residents to find solutions, “and maybe we still can.”
In a 2023 interview, she said the campground proposal has a lot to do with their daughter, Breanna, who has Down syndrome. They’ve been looking at various opportunities for her and came up with the idea of starting a social enterprise group called C.A.M.P. (Community Assisting Many People). The campground would operate under the proposed social enterprise.
Mosher said the municipality first received an application from Skaling for a rezoning from the Rural Mixed Use (A2) zone to Commercial Recreation (P1) in October 2021.
She said that, following a virtual public information meeting in February 2022, many concerns were received from the public.
In May 2022, staff and the applicant agreed that a development agreement would be the preferred approach over a rezoning because of a greater ability to control uses and where they can occur; to require greater separation distances (75 feet) and vegetative buffering; and to include phasing of the development.
RESIDENTS SPEAK OUT
Theresa Steele, of Scots Bay, said she would advise councillors to keep an open mind and that there was a lot of information missing in the planning staff presentation.
Lindsay Steele, owner of Cape Split Farms and subsidiaries, owns property on either side of the subject site. She has chicken barns nearby and plans to build more. The family also runs a successful horse breeding program. Steele is concerned over the proximity of the proposed campground to her expanding agricultural operations.
She said the community has been “screaming” for public consultation since first learning about the campground proposal, and a lot of the conflict with the developer could have been avoided.
Steele said the community ended up holding its own meeting last year. Planning staff did not attend, but
Mayor Peter Muttart and Coun. June Granger did and were verbally “attacked” by upset residents.
“June especially was on the receiving end of a lot of angry residents and that could have been avoided through public consultation,” Steele said.
She said she believes the fact that she has had to pay experts to “prove common sense things” regarding the proposal shows a flaw in the system. Steele feels her own concerns have been “dismissed.”
She said she would like to see the Skalings do something with their property other than a campground, which she sees as a conflicting land use. If there had been outreach to the community, “maybe a better solution could have been represented.”
Ann Huntley, of Scots Bay, said citizens have met with “defensiveness” from municipal
NOT A CASE OF NIMBY
Huntley said residents have genuine, demonstrated concerns and this isn’t a case of “not in my back yard” (NIMBY).
She said she doesn’t believe the proposal meets with the MPS in that there would be negative impacts on agricultural operations, and it would contribute to “undue conflict with rural residents.”
Nancy Roscoe-Huntley, of Scots Bay, who owns the Canning Village Meat Market with husband Oscar, said they have a smoke house on a neighbouring property. She said she found several of the concerns raised “alarming” and said there are many unanswered questions.
“The lack of information received
PROBLEM WITH TENTS
Wes Hubley, of Arlington, owner of the Look-off Campground, said he no longer allows people with tents to camp there. He said he had problems with them “drinking, partying, and smoking dope.”
“There’s no way to control these guys, and it’s unfortunate, but if you put this campground in the middle of all these agricultural areas, barns, it’s just a recipe for disaster,” Hubley said.
He said that if the proposal goes through, “the community of Scots Bay will never be the same again.”