A request to begin a five-year-long construction period in order to rent out short-term holiday cabins near the Husky gas station was brought to Radium Hot Springs council’s attention last week.
Martin and Karen Wartbichler submitted an application to council on July 9th to develop property at the junction of Highway 93 and Madsen Road for a commercially zoned permit with multiple unit accommodations and single family dwellings.
“It’s to allow the construction of five commercial or residential short-term or long-term rental cabins with an area that’s appropriately zoned,” explained Radium chief administrative office Mark Read, noting there were conditions to the permit from Arne Dohlen, director of planning and development services, such as wildfire mitigation to occur on the forested property.
He informed council the hard surfacing requirements were provided with the request and there are plans to landscape the property.
The Village of Radium Hot Springs has, by resolution, issued a development permit to the Wartbichlers.
However, Councillor Todd Logan questioned whether there would be sufficient provisions for fire protection, such as fire hydrants.
Read encouraged council to apply a conditional approval that could be subject to staff looking into the requirement for fire protection planning.
“We can look at that if it’s a problem or if we need to negotiate an amendment to that,” added Read. “Usually, the way our hydrant requirements are met are when a certain height is included, a certain distance with a certain density. This is certainly low density and there may be a hydrant within the catchment zone, but I can’t speak to that.”
Reinhardt encouraged the Wartbichlers to weigh in, and Martin Wartbichler assured council there’s a water hydrant there.
“It shouldn’t be a bother,” he concluded, noting the development would be gradually built. “We want to put one (cabin) up this year, maybe one next year and so on.”
Mayor Clara Reinhardt was ultimately supportive of the Wartbichlers’ new venture and Councillor Ron Verboom asked for additional information about the couple’s landscaping plans.
“I like to retain the details of Mother Nature as good as I can,” replied Wartbichler. “I don’t want to decrease stuff like that, so if I can keep it coming in, I will.”
For more information about the project, visit maisonsbondu.com.