Current year-round occupants of Willingdon Beach Campground will be allowed to continue living at the seaside location, but no further residents will be accepted as City of Powell River revisits its policies for the publicly owned campsite.
The move comes as the city grapples with a rising demand for campsites during summer months to accommodate an increase in the number of tourists looking for a place to stay, said city manager of recreation Neil Pukesh.
“During the summer the campsite runs at or near capacity and we are turning people away,” said Pukesh. “We have one of the best campsite locations I’ve ever seen, with its great sunsets and close proximity to the ocean and city.”
City director of planning Thomas Knight said he thinks the parks, recreation and culture department should take a stronger stance dealing with long-term campers and not let them continue to live there.
“As far as I’m concerned it’s a campground for the travelling public and not someone’s own private piece of land,” said Knight. “That campsite is part of Powell River’s tourism strategy.”
While the city should play a role in solving the lack of affordable housing problem, providing campsites at Willingdon Beach is not the solution, said Knight.
Currently, the campground is home to approximately 12 extended-stay campers who live there year-round.
The new policy would restrict campground visitors to reservations no longer than 28 consecutive days between May and September. Extended-stay camping will be permitted between October and April when demand for campsites is lower.
Pukesh told the city’s committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, June 13, the changes would not affect current long-term campers at the popular site.
“We know there’s an affordable housing issue in the community right now,” he added. “We’re confident it will be addressed through other means.”
Councillor Maggie Hathaway, who heads up the city’s housing working group committee, said the group has come to the conclusion that the campsite is not the appropriate place to provide affordable housing.
“Maybe the city needs to provide something somewhere else,” said Hathaway, “but Willingdon Beach is not it.”
In addition to limited extended stays during the summer, the parks, recreation and culture department is also recommending council approve a three per cent increase in camping fees and two group sites at the campground be broken up into several smaller sites to provide added capacity.
