Photo: District of Peachland

The owner of an unfinished house in the upper reaches of Peachland promised to get construction back on track.

Will Reimer made his case to Peachland council on Tuesday.

Council approved a staff recommendation to put a notice on the property title that will alert potential buyers to the home’s longstanding unfinished state.

“It’s not punitive toward the property owner,” said planner Darin Schaal. “It helps to ensure that this issue can’t be offloaded to a new property owner.”

A building permit for a massive house in the upper Princeton Avenue area was issued eight years ago, but little activity has taken place in the last five years, Schaal said.

Reimer, who lives in an older house on the property, said he is ready to resubmit permit applications and get moving on construction.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused him financial challenges and his family situation changed, which means he no longer needs a gigantic house, he said.

“Now I don’t need that house. That’s why I’m selling.

“I started the house just before the pandemic. Financially, during the pandemic everything changed.” Reimer said he now has the money to build and “hopefully, in the next month or so, I will have everything submitted for a new building permit.

“Certainly, it wasn’t my plan,” he said. “I had hoped it was going to be finished in the first three years or so, but unfortunately economics didn’t allow that. It certainly wasn’t my choice.

Council approved adding the notice with Coun. Alena Glasman, who had hoped something could be negotiated, opposed.