Island escape close to nature
‘Exceptional waterfront’ part of SookePoint at Silver Spray
On the most southwesterly tip of Canada, a developer sees untapped potential.
A lush, six-hectare strip of land with 869 metres of oceanfront on Vancouver Island overlooks a scenic piece of the Pacific coast. Fishing boats cover water teeming with salmon — and this natural beauty is now available for people seeking a second home or vacation property.
“When I was introduced to the property 17 years ago, the guy said: ‘I’m only going to speak in superlatives, so be skeptical — come out and prove me wrong.’ ” says Michael Thornton of Landus Development Group Inc. “And I couldn’t prove him wrong.”
Almost two decades later, Thornton opened the oceanside SookePoint at Silver Spray development. “We have immediate access to what I call the most exceptional oceanfront in southern Vancouver Island,” he says.
This land places vacationers close to fishing, hiking, sightseeing, kayaking and whale watching.
The development will include 95 cottages on a property located about 35 minutes from Victoria’s airport, making it a convenient escape for Calgary residents — especially because the flight is about two hours.
“We’ve had interest from different parts of Canada and the States already,” says Thornton, adding almost 400 people are registered in the development’s database. The starting price for cottages is $299,000, including lot and taxes.
These cottages come with a deck shaped like the prow on a boat, offering a wider view of the water below.
One-bedroom bungalows start at 504 square feet, two-bedroom bungalows start at 690 square feet and three-bedroom bungalows start at 933 square feet.
Villas offer 607-square-foot main floors and 700-square-foot lower levels. Cottages can come in two-level combinations, as well.
Overall, there are about 14 floor plans to choose from. Fully furnished cottages are available at an extra cost that works out to about the same as the GST.
“We’ve tried to be creative both from an owner and renter perspective,” says Thornton. “We’ve tried to provide plans that offer flexibility.”
The project will include a resort rental management program, allowing owners to earn income when they’re at their primary home. Thornton says the cottages can be an escape in any season.
“This is a year-round resort, for sure,” he says. “I’ve only seen snow stay on the ground for three days.”
But on chillier days, residents can stay warm through radiant in-floor heating at the cottages.
The exterior of the cottages is an architectural style Thornton calls “Victoria meets the wild West Coast.” Exterior features include stone accents, shingle siding and exposed rafter tails with French shutters.
In the development’s master plan, 30 cottages face east at a wilderness park, while another 30 look west and 30 face south.
“On the southwest, we envision people storm watching, sitting there with big glass windows while waves spray 20 or 30 feet (six to nine metres),” says Thornton.
A key to the development is privacy, both in the design of the cottage and where they’re placed on the property.
“We have to have density, but we have to have no appearance of density because when you go to these fine resorts, you feel you’re private,” says Thornton.
“We put heavy landscaping in it. There’s a Victorian wroughtiron-style gate, so when somebody comes to the gate, they will not be able to see into your cottage — not even see the door because of the way the plants work and the curved paths.
“They buzz up at the gate and you buzz them in. The idea is maximum privacy.”