Peggys Cove business owner says she's been 'ousted' under proposed zoning

As the popular tourist attraction and fishing community of Peggys Cove tries to update its land-use bylaws, one local couple says they feel singled out by the latest changes.

A public hearing Wednesday evening in nearby Hackett's Cove was the final opportunity for people to give feedback about a draft bylaw which will rezone areas in the iconic cove and bring in new rules.

Lobster Lane is a shared driveway that was covered under the zoning categories called fishing and "core" in previous versions of the planned changes. Core zoning allows for a mix of residential and commercial use. But now, the properties along Lobster Lane are zoned fishing and residential.

" [There is] commercial zoning for nearly the whole village but our property has been ousted out," said Claire Paruch. She and her husband Paul have a home near the corner of Lobster Lane and the village's main route, Peggys Point Road and that's where Claire has run a hot dog cart on the land for the past 12 years. It's currently considered a non-conforming business, as are many others in the cove, but many of those will become legal under the new bylaw.

"I am not going to leave. I will find a way," Claire said after the meeting.

A consultant firm is helping the Peggy's Cove Commission (PCC) draft the new bylaw. The commission is a group of cove residents and others responsible for planning and development decisions for the village.

Both Claire and Paul Paruch raised their concerns to the commission during the meeting, saying they had looked forward to being officially zoned commercial so they could also set up a restaurant on their land.

Claire said over the years she's felt "resentment" from others in the area after her cart started doing well.  An online petition to show support for Claire's cart has already gained more than 1,000 signatures.

"Don't play politics with people's lives. Be guided by fairness, not favouritism," Paul  Paruch said during the meeting.

He told the commission the change came as a "shock" because the couple had handed over part of their land to Build Nova Scotia for the new public washrooms.

In the 2019 master plan for Peggys Cove, which included consultation from residents, it suggested that "a business area" should go in surrounding the new washrooms. The plan was commissioned by former Crown corporation Develop Nova Scotia, which has since amalgamated into Build Nova Scotia and handles infrastructure upgrades in the cove.

"Similar to the arrangement achieved on the Halifax Waterfront, this would allow local businesses to operate small food and beverage operations using the shared public washroom to meet code washroom requirements," the plan said.

The Paruchs were among more than a dozen people to raise concerns with the bylaw Wednesday. 

Artist Mary Lynne Milledge said she was alarmed to see that vendors like her would not be allowed. The draft bylaw said that all vending is banned, except food trucks during an event and three yard sales per lot each year.

Milledge said she has been painting in the village for years, and likes engaging with tourists and selling some of her work.

"I just think we would lose something, something very special that the community has to offer," Milledge said.

Others worried the expanded commercial zone might make things worse for residents and the fishing industry.

Tobias Beale said locals have welcomed the waves of tourists that come into the internationally recognized village, and done their best with little government support. But with the new boardwalk, washrooms and platform around the lighthouse, Beale said it feels like the commission and province are giving the cruise ship industry "whatever it is they want."

"Who's protecting the residents, who's protecting the culture of Peggys Cove?" Beale said during the meeting, to applause from the crowd.

The commission members did not address any comments or questions Wednesday, but said they will consider the feedback as they finalize the bylaw. They will eventually send the document to the provincial government for final approval.