The owners of a North Okanagan-Shuswap veterinary clinic who lost a building in a recent fire are pursuing a zoning amendment to support increased staffing and construction of a new building.
At its April 18 meeting, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District board gave first reading to a zoning bylaw amendment for 942 Gardom Lake Road, home of Deep Creek Veterinary. A December 2023 fire on the property resulted in the destruction of the business clinic/surgery building.
“You know, we’ve been in business for 25 years and we go to work in that building every day,” Deep Creek’s Dr. Bruce Baker told the Observer after the fire. “To have it suddenly gone is really quite a shock.”
The application is to add site-specific regulation to the Medium Holdings-zoned property that would bring the clinic into compliance with the zoning and allow for “minor future expansion.” A CSRD staff report explains the combined footprint of the building destroyed in the fire and a separate office building on site totalled 196 square metres. The proposed site-specific zone would accommodate plans for a 250-square-metre structure that would house both the office and the clinic. The new building would be 50 square metres larger than what is currently permitted under home-occupation regulations.
The amendment would also accommodate the number of “off-site employees” currently allowed.
“Our home-based veterinary business has grown and now exceeds the number of off-site employees allowed under the home-based business bylaw,” reads an excerpt from the application.
Staff were supportive of the application, noting the clinic is an “appropriate use in the neighbourhood,” and that in its 25 years of operation, it has not prompted any formal bylaw enforcement complaints.
“The veterinary clinic use is considered consistent with community values and Medium Holdings policies… as it compliments the rural character of the area by providing veterinary services to the local community,” reads the staff report. “These services help support the well-being of livestock and other animals in the area while also providing employment opportunities for local residents.”
Read more: Shuswap vet anxious to rebuild, grateful for support after structure fire
Read more: Shuswap’s Deep Creek Veterinary loses building in early morning fire