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Are you wanting to know the history of the sale of Mount Washington in 2015 to the current owners? Here is a great article (Douglas Magazine, August 26, 2016) that summarized the history of the sale of the mountain, click here.

I spoke with Stephanie Pawluk at the CVRD on January 24th regarding the Short Term Rental Restrictions and how they affect Mount Washington. At this point, Mount Washington (and all other Ski Resorts in BC) are exempt from the principle residence requirement but not the zoning requirement. So, after a brief analysis it was determined that Bear Lodge and Deer Lodge are the only properties on the mountain that currently allow short term rentals without rezoning or using a temporary use permit. That said, options are being reviewed and presented to CVRD decision makers for the unique situation of Mount Washington. Read to the end.
Please view the email response from Stephanie (250-334-6006 or email planning@comoxvalleyrd.ca).

Hi Ryan,

The Resort Accommodation (RA) districts within the Mt. Washington Comprehensive Development Zone only allow for “residential use”. Therefore, “tourist accommodation” is not permitted. Section 200 of the Zoning Bylaw has the definitions of all these terms.

As it stands, the options to pursue legalizing a short term rental include 1. A temporary use permit or 2. A rezoning.

A temporary use permit (TUP) is an application to allow for a use of land, on a temporary basis, not otherwise permitted in the Zoning Bylaw. The maximum allowable timeline is 3 years, with an opportunity for one extension (so a maximum of 6 years), as per the BC Local Government Act. The application is considered by the Advisory Planning Commission, Electoral Area Services Committee and the Board of Directors. Feedback will be solicited from adjacent property owners by the CVRD prior to the Electoral Area Services Committee meeting. The application cost for a TUP is $1,500.

To submit this application, an applicant must supply the following documents:

• Pre-Application Consultation Request Form
• Completed application form
• Land title: CVRD staff will pull the land title for you
• Written statement explaining the temporary nature of the proposal, a rationale for the requested duration, any alterations to land, buildings, or structures, any expected phases that will change the intensity or scale of the use, and the condition of land expected following the expiration of the permit

One can submit an application for a rezoning to propose a change to the land use of a property. For example, you could potentially apply for a zone exception to the current zoning of the property to permit one tourist accommodation unit. A rezoning application involves referral to the Advisory Planning Commission, referrals to external agencies, soliciting feedback from adjacent property owners by the CVRD, a public hearing, and four readings of the proposed bylaw by the CVRD Board. The application cost for a rezoning pertaining to a zone exception is $2,000.

To submit this application, an applicant must supply the following documents:

• Pre-Application Consultation Request Form
• Completed application form
• Land title: CVRD staff will pull the land title for you
• Proposal including any applicable professional reports and site plans: an applicant can hire a surveyor or other professional to create the reports/site plans that are required.

Please note however, that the CVRD is currently contemplating options for short term rentals on Mt. Washington, given its unique tourism-focussed context.

Please keep an eye on the Electoral Areas Services Committee Meeting agendas, as I believe we are anticipating a forthcoming staff report regarding tourist accommodation on Mount Washington later in February.

Best,

Stephanie Pawluk, MCIP, RPP (she/her)

As of May 15, there are currently 6 condos, one chalet and 11 lots for sale on mountain.  Most of the lots for sale are being sold by Island Mountain Holdings as they sell off the last of the lots they own in the Beaufort Heights subdivision.  Of the 6 condos listed for sale, two are under offer – units 213 Deer ($364,900 freehold) / 208 Paradise ($374,900 leasehold) – and the 1 chalet – 988 Henry Road (freehold, $659,000) – is under offer.  

We are in unprecedented times for low inventory on the mountain. Below is a chart showing the sales by month since 2008.  You can see that August, September, October, November 2020 and January, February, April 2021 were record breaking months for sales of their respective months since 2008.  

Future (heresay and word on the street):

• There is townhouse development planned for the upper parking lot overlooking the Sunrise Chairlift (the old RV parking lot). High quality finishes, high end pricing, ski in/ski out. Likely to break ground in spring 2022.  
• Talk of a big developer working on a proposal to buy land by the base of the Hawk Chair. 60 units plus restaurant and bar
• RV park on land between Hawk Chair and Raven Lodge.
• Development of Ridge across from main parking lot by the radio tower
• Development of the ridge between the Sunrise Chair and Strata 799.

The top two are definitely more in play than just word on the street.

 Hope this helps with your decision on buying or selling on the mountain. 

Mount Washington Market Stats:

• Since August 1, 2018 there have been 20 sales (plus any pending that having showed up online yet.
• 4 of those were Chalets (2 in the village – both sold for under $300,000; 2 on Arrowsmith Ridge – $484,000 and $510,000.)
• 16 condos: 5 in Deer Lodge, 3 in the Alpine Village, 3 in Ptarmigan Ridge, 3 in Paradise Ridge, 2 in Blueberry, 1 in Creekside
• 6 were leasehold or co-op, 14 were Freehold
• There are currently 52 active listings on the market: 20 lots, 10 chalets, 3 duplex, 19 condos
• The leasehold to freehold conversion has not moved forward as quickly as thought. Paperwork was to be received in the mail 3 weeks ago but leaseholders have not received that paperwork yet
• There is little snow on the mountain right now. There is supposed to be a week of precipitation starting tomorrow which should be snow on the mountain
• They are snowmaking around the tube park.

It has been 6 years since the last opportunity for Leasehold titled properties to convert to Freehold title and it appears there is another opportunity in the near future. Recently, a letter was sent to Leasehold owners asking for “expression of interest” applications to be completed if they were interested in Freehold interest in their property.  Details such as price, procedure, etc were NOT detailed as they stated the level of interest would determine the feasibility of moving forward. The letter stated that May 2018 was the possible timeline for allowing the conversions to happen. The owner will have to create a Disclosure Statement and provide it to those interested prior to “conversion” happening.