Letter to the editor

The following letter is addressed to Invermere mayor and council.

We are writing to object to the granting of a Temporary Use Permit (TUP) to the owner of a property on our block.

We are at the entrance to the cul-de-sac of this residence and as such are witness to the increase in traffic when said residence is being rented out.

We have been property owners for 37 years, both as part time and then permanent for the past 20 years.

We have a closeknit group of neighbours, both part time and full time, many of whom have been here for the same length of time and we all watch out for one another.

The owner of this residence is only now applying for a TUP, having run it as a short-term rental business for at least 10 years.

In speaking with neighbours who directly border this property, they are fed up with the noise, disrespect, and disregard that some guests show especially on long weekends and weekends through the whole summer.

Ironically, the online ad by ‘ Super Host Clifford’ for this property quotes “Enjoy the tranquil Invermere  lifestyle located on a quiet cul-de-sac on Fort Point.”

We all built in this neighbourhood because of location, proximity to Kinsmen Beach, and most amenities in town are within a 15 minute walk.

But, most importantly, it is an R-1 residential neighbourhood.

With approximately 177 residences on Fort Point and approximately 17 identified as STR businesses, that is 10 per cent of our neighbourhood.

We are dismayed, yet again, that the District of Invermere (DOI) and council have granted and are considering granting similar TUPs to applicants in other R-1 areas of town without any apparent consideration of the impact not only on those residents in the area, but to the broader overall Invermere  community.

If we continue to erode housing, both affordable and rental for those that want to live, work, and contribute to what should be a thriving community, we do so to our own detriment.

There appears to be an apparent rush of applicants to get their STR temporary use applications approved by the DOI and council in advance of the well overdue review and update of the Official Community Plan scheduled for sometime in May 2025.

In closing, we are extremely concerned about the approach this council is taking on this issue.

It appears to us that no one on council is listening to the concerns of their own townspeople.

Joan and John Rouse, Invermere