By David F. Rooney
An open house at the Community Centre on Tuesday will explore the latest plans for the 5,200-acre Shelter Bay Resort Community.
“During the last 15 months or so we have… refined our plans,” Vancouver-based developer Ender Ilkay said in an interview on Friday.
“One of the things we’ve added is an extensive non-motorized trail system,” he said.
5,200 acres, which was purchased from Pope & Talbot when it went belly-up, is a lot of space, but it will be home to only about 750 units that will occupy “a much smaller footprint now,” he said.
That will ensure a great deal of open space and extensive undeveloped forest and meadow.
The development will also be home to a marina, children’s camp and outfitters camp.
Ilkay said the Open House will begin at 4:30 with Ilkay making a detailed presentation about the development at 7 pm. There will be a Question and Answer period from 7:30 until 9 pm.
This is not the first time Ilkay has made a public presentation here. He made a previous presentation here in 2010 and promised to return with a set of refined ideas.
The new plans he is bringing to town is the fulfillment of that promise.
“We’ve conducted extensive environmental studies, archaeological studies — extensive field work of all kinds,” Ilkay said, adding that he has spoken with about 20 different groups regarding the project, which is on this side of Shelter Bay and should not be confused with Eagle Bay where developers clear-cut a portion of their 2,448 acre parcel.
“We haven’t removed a single tree,” Ilkay said.
The Shelter Bay project is not going to be swiftly accomplished. Although Ilkay said he hopes he could get started on it this year, he envisions a 20- to 25-year time span until project completion.
“This is a 20- to 25-year project,” he said. “We’ll go through a series of real estate cycles during that time but that’s normal. Right now the real estate market is not robust.”
