District of Peachland wants dormant home construction project finished

Photo: District of Peachland

A Peachland construction project that should have been someone?s dream home may eventually meet the wrecking ball if it's not brought up to snuff.

A Peachland construction project that should have been someone’s dream home could eventually meet the wrecking ball if it's not brought up to snuff.

The town’s council is being asked to take steps toward mitigating the fire risk they say is posed by a long-dormant construction project at 4976 Princeton Avenue and issue a Notice on Title — the first step toward forcing change.

The project was grand in scale. Permits were secured in 2016 to replace a three-bedroom, 3,042-square-foot home with a home that was 11,451-square foot-larger, according to a document headed to town council.

The new building would have been comprised of eight bedrooms, a two-car garage, indoor hot tub and 774 square foot swimming pool.

To date, however, that mansion-scale dream home has not been actualized, and the property has been listed for sale for awhile.

“As of December 2024—eight years following issuance of the building permit—the property owner has still not completed the framing of the structure,” the town report reads.

The construction project has mostly been dormant for the past five years and since approvals were first granted, two new versions of the BC Building Code have been enacted.

In that time Peachland has also started to look differently at the way developments take shape. Notably, it’s being built in the middle of a wildfire interface development permit area, a hillside development permit area and there are environmental issues.

“The district’s building inspector, as well as the fire department, have significant community safety concerns regarding the structure in its current state,” reads a town report to council.

“Also, the structure does not have New Home Warranty coverage, which is required in accordance with the Homeowner Protection Act.”

The town and the building owner have had many back and forth about what needs to be done in the last year, though despite assurances that they intended to continue working on the project nothing has happened. Thus, the town is working toward putting a Notice on the Title of the building at the Jan. 14 council meeting.

The property owner will again be able to address council at this time.

A Notice on Title is one measure to help ensure a potential new owner is aware of the ongoing issues and the need to complete the project in a timely manner or demolish the structure.

It does not prevent the District from taking additional enforcement actions, but it is a key step in the progressive bylaw enforcement process.