The often controversial subject of secondary suites has landed a West Kelowna man in some hot water with his neighbours.

Ron Dewhurst’s application to legalize a secondary suite, as a place for his son to live, has dragged in almost the entire Sunnyside neighbourhood––a typically sleepy subdivision of 130 homes adjacent to Quails’ Gate winery in West Kelowna.

Dewhurst said about half his neighbourhood has lined up against his suite; but, he added that he’s gradually convinced the other half to come over to his side, by simply explaining why he’s legalizing the suite.

According to Dewhurst, much of the opposition boils down to a completely unrelated issue. Dewhurst, who owns a licensed bed and breakfast in the same home, said he’s being made a scapegoat by those who oppose a number of unlicensed vacation rentals in the neighbourhood.

Dewhurst raised the issue during a West Kelowna public hearing this week.

“A great deal of (opponents’) speeches were about vacation rentals, which have nothing to do with me,” Dewhurst explained.

He said council’s decision should be based on the merits of his application and all other matters should be off the table.

“People are entangling me with issues that have nothing to do with what I’m trying to do.”

Kristin Garn, who is among those leading the charge against Dewhurst’s application, admitted that suites might be easier to accept in her neighbourhood if vacation rental houses weren’t a growing problem.

“Personally I think we would have a lot more patience for secondary suites if we weren’t dealing with vacation rentals. It’s a huge issue, and, it overlaps with secondary suites and it overlaps with a community’s ability to handle secondary suites, because it’s (all) an increase in rental population.”

Garn told the Capital News that vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts and illegal suites are popping up in her neighbourhood like “mushrooms under a rug,” said Garn.

She said the municipality needs to take a better approach to dealing with densification in rural neighbourhoods like hers.

“Right now the (municipality’s) approach is to go ahead and accept any secondary suite to get affordable housing going. They’ve got to put the brakes on. They can’t do the blanket approvals and must decide the most appropriate areas for affordable housing.”

Garn said the Sunnyside subdivision is too far from major amenities to be considered for suites and vacation rentals.

“We have no problem with affordable housing, but, we’re saying we might not be the best neighbourhood for that (because of) the shared single entrance, the cul-de-sacs, the dead ends, the fact that we have no sidewalks…no street lights.”

Coun. Rosalind Neis said the neighbourhood’s split backs up her contention that the municipality needs a moratorium on suite applications until West Kelowna can develop a housing strategy.

A housing policy is expected to go before council on Oct. 27. For the time being, the rest of council has preferred to deal with suite applications on a case by case basis.