More work needed for proposed gondola project

Mar 3, 2022 | 3:46 PM Pete McIntyre

It’s back to work for the company looking to build a gondola and tourist attraction south of Vernon.

It was decided that more consultations and studies would be needed after Rav Soomal, Vice President of Operations for Ridge North America, presented the proposed project to the Regional District of North Okanagan’s (RDNO) Electoral Area Advisory Committee on Thursday, March 3.

Following the presentation, the committee voiced some concerns, mainly involving traffic and people accessing the site via Bailey Rd. off Highway 97 in Electoral Area B, along with the need for water and sewage to be connected to the site. There were also concerns with fire protection and the impacts the project would have on the wildlife and environment.

Addressing the latter points, Soomal told the committee that they had been in contact with Predator Ridge and looked to follow their lead in fire mitigation practices, and that an environmental study had already been completed. He also stated that the main attraction would be close to the road where wildlife are less likely to be present.

In regards to the traffic and highway issues, Soomal said they had been in talks with the Ministry of Transportation to have turn lanes established to reach the site, saying they don’t believe it would have any impacts on the traffic or safety of people on the highway.

The company is still in the early stages of exploring options for both water and sewage systems.

The committee was then asked to decide on how to move forward with potentially changing the Official Community Plan bylaw and a zoning bylaw to allow for the project to move forward, which RDNO staff recommended not supporting.

However, Area B director Bob Fleming noted that the Official Community Plan Gateway Policy that was stopping this development is around 20 years old.

Fleming proposed an alternate resolution, which would send Ridge North America back out to do more work. The alternate requires:

Consultations be held with the RDNO Community Services (Parks) department, First Nations, City of Vernon and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, with the comments from all those conversations coming back to the RDNO for review
Hold a Public Information Meeting
Provide written confirmation from a qualified professional geotechnical engineer that the subject property is safe for the intended use
Submit a hydrogeological study to determine any impacts the proposed development would have on the water supply of existing users in the area and the underlying aquifer
Submit a study prepared by a professional geotechnical engineer that evaluates the subject property and provides recommendations for potential on-site septic sewage disposal associated with the development.

The second reading of the proposed OCP and Zoning Bylaw Amendments will be withheld until all of these processes are complete.

The motion to support the alternate passed unanimously.

Speaking with media following the decision, Soomal said he was excited about the motion.

“It allows us to continue the conversation for this project to move forward,” said Soomal.

He also noted the OCP is an old document and that they have received a lot of public support for the project, saying the proposed gondola off Bailey Rd. would fit the region and the community as it continues to grow.

Soomal said they are now going back to work on the proposal, though he could not say how long that would take.

“There was a number of resolutions and things we’ll have to work through, and once we debrief after this meeting, we’ll go back and look at what it’s going to take to cross those things off the list,” said Soomal.

“Obviously we’ll move through the list of recommendations here today, and we’ll have a better understanding of what our time line looks like after that.”