Oasis Grove lot expansion permit denied

By Sharon McLeay Times Contributor

Wheatland County council has denied a development permit to Oasis Grove Golf and RV Resort to develop 84 lots and add 64 campsites to their operation.
If it had passed, the development permit would allow the resort to grow to 300 lots. Ownership  purchased the campground in 2017, formerly called Calderon Acres campground, and said that it needed a lot of work to bring it up to code.
“It was a beautiful place, but dangerous, messy and unkempt,” said the owner. “It was not only timely but costly … we are just trying to get back to what we had purchased.”
Some of the lots were illegal and he had to straighten things out with Wheatland County development and planning staff.
“We enjoyed the opportunity to work with the group. We like to think that we have really tried to be a good community member,” he said.
The sites currently use a communal well with a second well servicing an on-site house. Drilling another well for the 64 new sites is a requirement of approval. The owner was asking for an enhanced water agreement for the site and wanted the county to allow water to be trucked in, until the water system gets provincial approval. The wastewater is handled through VAC truck removal for each of the lots and the sanitation dump station.
The development permit required enhanced access to the site, which was not completed. Since the roads by that access are not paved, dust control measures were a concern. Wheatland County staff said a dust control agreement could be made as part of the development permit conditions.
Oasis Grove lots are offered for $35,000 on a 35-year lease term. Some residents compare the site to a subdivision, as the sites are being leased for 35 years, and they are worried about the traffic coming and going to the site.
“Seems like everything is wishy-washy here. All these promises and nothing has happened,” said local resident Gerald Melenas, who added that he is worried about regulations for the sites because they are now permanently leased sites.
There were also some concerns in the community on what effects the golf course would have on the sites. The suggestion was that netting and fencing would be placed to mitigate any overshot golf ball problems. The other concerns voiced by residents included the spreading of garbage, drug and alcohol use by patrons, and people going onto neighbouring properties. Residents had not been consulted, as there is no requirement for this under the permit.
Oasis Grove owners hoped to have the sites approved and operational in 2018.
Wheatland County Councillor Jason Wilson said he would like a permanent water solution, fencing and access improvement done before development approval, and he made a motion to refuse the application. The rest of council carried the motion.
“The reason given is that we would like to see a little more done on the water issue, dust control, littering and intersection improvement before it comes back,” said Wilson.