Thursday, July 05, 2007

Land-development proposal largest in South Okanagan's history

Ashley Ford, The Province Published: Thursday, July 05, 2007 Canada.com

A Vancouver-based company wants to build a new 800-home community at the north end of Oysoyoos Lake. The private firm, Willow Beach (GLD) Developments Ltd., has already purchased a 28.3-hectare parcel of land known as the Willow Beach Campgrounds for $23 million and has applied to the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen for rezoning to allow the project to proceed. It is the largest real-estate development land transaction in the history of the South Okanagan. Len Chaston, one of the development managers for the project, said it could take five years to fully develop and build it out at a cost of $400 million to $500 million. The other development manger is Ankenman Marchand Architects. The proposed village would likely be named Willow Beach Community and will offer a wide variety of housing types, including 134 single-family homes, 86 duplexes, 38 townhouses and 540 condominiums in three- or four-storey structures. Fifty commercial units for use as shops, coffee bars and other retail outlets are also planned, Chaston said. He said the project is planned and based on the principles of sustainability, featuring enhanced wetland channels running through the property, geothermal heating and rainwater infiltration systems.

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