The Peachland Baptist Church has said that it is “shocked and disheartened” by the local government’s “tactics to force a land deal.”
The sentiments shared by the church come after the District sent out a news release on Thursday stating that it was pursuing the purchase of additional land for the construction of the Peachland Protective Services Building.
The District has already purchased 4223 San Clemente Ave. and the property at the corner of San Clemente Avenue and 13th Street, but it is now also eyeing the property that currently houses the local Baptist church.
In a 2022 referendum, the residents of Peachland approved the borrowing of up to $17.5 million to construct the Peachland Protective Services Building, which will house a fire hall, BC Ambulance Service and Citizens on Patrol.
Since that referendum, the District has said that construction costs have increased dramatically and there was a need to explore more cost-effective delivery models.
“In seeking a viable solution, the District has been examining a public-private partnership approach to help offset rising costs and maximize the use of an expanded site,” wrote the District.
“The property on which the Peachland Baptist Church is situated provides the needed space and strategic location for an expanded Protective Services Building to serve the community’s long-term needs.”
The District added that it is in communication with the Baptist church on purchasing its property, with an option that would fully support the church by professionally relocating its building to a nearby site within the same neighbourhood.
“Council wholeheartedly believes that a mutually beneficial solution will be achieved and has directed the District to support the relocation of the Peachland Baptist Church, a deeply valued institution that has been part of the community for over 100 years,” said Mayor Patrick Van Minsel.
While the District announced its plans on Thursday, the church said on Friday that the District has been “aggressively” pursuing the acquisition of its property since 2021, including an unsolicited offer in November 2023 that was one-third of the estimated replacement value of the land and building.
In a statement from the church, it said that since that time, it has been on a “roller coaster ride of sporadic communications” and that recent correspondence from staff has become “increasingly combative and raising legal powers to force an expropriation of church property.”
According to the church, the cost for a like-for-like replacement of its land and building would be approximately $4 million, and the District has suggested the church sell its holdings at below market value or move to a less valuable area closer to the highway.
“I understand that they would like to create new offices for town bureaucrats and our spot probably looks like a great place to build them, but it doesn’t seem right that a charitable organization which has served the community for 120 years should subsidize this plan on land we own and don't wish to leave” said Lyle Wahl, the pastor for the church.
The church added in its statement that it has been left out of the loop and that detailed plans of the project have not been shared with it, but instead were obtained by “mining the town’s procurement site for a confidential Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI) process that had already been initiated.”
“We have been clear that while we don’t want to leave where we’re at, we are willing to work with them,” Wahl added.
“Our church attendance has doubled since COVID and we use the building throughout the week. We just don’t understand why they can’t build their plans to the west, where they’ve already acquired land adjacent to the lot set aside for the fire hall, instead of displacing us.”
Following the release of the statement from the church on Friday, Mayor Minsel stated that the District would continue to pursue the church’s land.
“The District of Peachland has invested a great deal of time and attention to the new firehall project,” said Minsel.
“The request to the Baptist church is not being made frivolously and our need has not changed now that the church has publicly announced its opposition.”
Minsel added that the local government has been as transparent as possible when dealing with land negotiations.
“We know there are good people on both sides of this issue working to find a resolution,” Minsel said.
“We will continue to work with the representative of the Peachland Baptist Church to find a resolution and we are pleased to hear they continue to be willing to come to the table.”
