Statment on the proposed RV Park at 547 Beddis Rd

As a candidate I have received several questions about the proposed RV Park at 547 Beddis Rd as reported in the Gulf Islands Driftwood.  [See New Salt Spring RV park planned on August 26 2026]

My position is that, due to lack of facts about the proposed project, I am currently unwilling to take a position either for or against this project.  The property (as of September 19th) still appears online as for sale, and no applications of any sort have been submitted to the Trust.  And now that the agenda for the final meeting of the term is available we know that no application will be submitted to the Trust before the election.  Which means that there is no proposal before the Trust for me to comment on, only the marketing material produced by the RV Alliance and the article in the Driftwood.

I am strongly in favour of creating options for not just attainable workforce housing on Salt Spring, but homes.  However I am also strongly in favour of ensuring those projects are close to services and within easy travel of places of employment.  I have several concerns about the Beddis Rd project such as where is the water coming from, where is the waste going to, why RVs as opposed to manufactured homes or tiny homes?  I am also deeply concerned about the proponents' commitment to affordability.  In the Driftwood one of the proponents suggests that the rents will be under market, stating that a one bedroom suite can go for upward of $2000 a month but their pads will be in the $850-$900 a month range.  It’s important to note that $850-$900 a month is well within market rent for a trailer pad, and while that is a lot cheaper than a one bedroom suite, it is not a one bedroom suite.  I am further concerned by the suggestion that the RV Park would only be 80% housing while being 20% short term rentals.  I also wonder if Lookout Housing and Health Society is the best partner to run the site.  I think an organization with experience with traditional pad rentals would be better than an organization primarily focused on supportive housing.

I am in no way opposed to the project, but I do have some questions I want answered before I would be willing to lend my support.