A local builder’s plans to construct a fourplex in Garibaldi Estates are in limbo after neighbours petitioned the court over restrictive covenants that prevent such housing, according to an article in the Vancouver Sun.
According to the article, Mike Van Capelle, the owner of Blue Water Concepts, purchased a 1960s-era house with plans to build four 2,000-square-foot multi-unit homes. While the District of Squamish approved the project and issued a development permit, neighbours Dennis and Andrea Smith have filed an injunction.
They argue that restrictive covenants limit the area to single-family homes, which have been in place for decades to preserve the neighbourhood character.
A letter quoted in the Vancouver Sun from a District of Squamish planner notes that the covenant has been violated several times and the fourplex plans should be allowed. The district, the article states, has “no intention to observe the covenant restrictions.”
Van Capelle is frustrated at the delays and says the NDP government should have considered these covenants while creating the Provincial Bill 44. You can read the article on the Vancouver Sun’s website, though a paid subscription is required.
A developer gets a permit much easier from the district than a home owner a permit to build a deck on his/her property, just wonder how the developer get so easy ammendments on the bylaws, maybe they know how to convince them $$$$$$$$$. This district it is a JOKE.