Popular Jewel Lake campground in a zoning showdown with regional district

A popular Boundary campground facing a battle with local government over cabins built on property recently zoned Agricultural Land Reserve is hoping guests’ memories will help them win the fight.

Jewel Lake Resort is a popular family fishing resort located on Jewel Lake near Greenwood. Co-owner Sina Steiger says the resort is going to court over a recent Regional District of Kootenay-Boundary decision that says several cabins placed on land now deemed Agricultural Land Reserve must be removed.

Steiger says her husband and another family purchased the resort four years ago. They recently built some new, 300-square foot cabins in a portion of the park that was formerly used for trailers, RVs and tenting.

Steiger says the regional district recently came out and told them they needed a permit for the cabins. They also told Steiger the cabins could be on property now in the ALR zoning, which was implemented in a 1996 bylaw, meaning they would have to be removed.

“I asked them what the difference was between non-permanent cabins (no foundation) and trailers and RVs, but they said not even trailers would be allowed,” Steiger says.

Knowing the campground had been on the property for a long time, Steiger recently reached out to clients, asking for photos taken prior to 1996 of campers holidaying in the affected portion of the campground – in camping spots 1 to 19.

Steiger says a surveyor confirmed this week the cabins are in an area zoned ALR. She says she’s not sure what her options are but believes she has enough signatures on a petition that states the campground existed before the 1996 bylaw came into effect.

She’s still looking for past photos from customers, if available.

“I don’t know if that’s going to be enough or not, but we have a court date for July 29,” Steiger says.

Anyone with a photo of Jewel Lake Campground predating 1996 can forward their photos to the Jewel Lake Facebook page.

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