KOOTENAY LAKE VILLAGE
Developer: Kootenay Lake Development Corp.
Price: Water-view lots from $130,000; waterfront lots from $395,000
Size: ½ acre to two acres
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Sales Centre: By appointment only
Contact: Phone 250-354-0309 or visit http://www.kootenaylakevillage.com
Jon Long and Oliver Berkeley are hoping to reinvent the meaning of development with Kootenay Lake Village.
Mr. Long, an IMAX filmmaker whose titles include Sacred Planet and Extreme, and Mr. Berkeley, a former management consultant, have designed the bare-land development for outdoor access, "with as little compromise to sustainability as possible," says Mr. Berkeley.
"We want to approach development in an ethical and community spirited way."
At the core of this approach is a deep appreciation of nature as well as a desire to be different.
"As developers, we believe that whatever we do to this piece of property, it will never be as good as it was before we got there. So we approached our development with that realization at the forefront of our planning and execution, in order to keep the land as pristine as possible," Mr. Long says.
To begin with, they kept the trees. "The first thing most developers do is cut all the trees down. Our approach has been to keep as many trees standing as possible," he says. "Many of the trees that were cut have been used on site in making timber-frame structures in parks, benches and bridges."
Ninety-five per cent of the trees are expected to remain standing and 105 hectares (260 acres) of the 182-hectare development site are dedicated to a wildlife preserve.
Outdoor adventure is the theme at Kootenay Lake Village, with 20 kilometres of hiking and biking trails winding through the large site, as well as direct access to boating activities, backcountry skiing and a community beach and waterfront walkway along the 115-km-long Kootenay Lake.
While the road may stop at Kootenay Lake Village, home buyers find themselves just 35 km east of Nelson, which is "brimming with all kinds of cultural amenities, restaurants, spas and many other big city offerings, but in a beautiful setting and without the traffic," says Mr. Long.
This proximity to outdoor adventure as well as urban amenities creates a unique blend that attracts urban dwellers looking to slow their pace, he says.
"Most of the people who have bought into Kootenay Lake Village have decided to move from Calgary, Vancouver or Kelowna, as they want to make a lifestyle change from the busy city lifestyle."
Basically, the two men want to give Kootenay Lake Village purchasers the best of everything: a natural escape with city amenities.
"For those living at Kootenay Lake Village, after a few minutes in their kayak, they'll feel more like they're in some remote part of Alaska, not Interior B.C., just down the road from Nelson, one the hippest outdoor lifestyle towns in B.C.," says Mr. Long.
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