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Bear Mountain owners want more appealing entrance

Bear Mountain resort deserves a more appealing entranceway, but no time line is in place, says its new owner.
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Langford Mayor Stew Young and the municipality's director of engineering, Michelle Mahovlich, cross the Leigh Road Interchange.

Bear Mountain resort deserves a more appealing entranceway, but no time line is in place, says its new owner.

“We do believe that there’s a requirement for a primary access into Bear Mountain that is more indicative of a world class development,” said Dan Matthews, managing partner of Ecoasis Developments LLP, which purchased the resort Wednesday for an undisclosed price.

First on his agenda is community consultation, something that’s being applauded by mayors in the Highlands and Langford, where the resort’s 836 acres are located.

A new gateway to Bear Mountain would extend the Bear Mountain Parkway on the south side of Skirt Mountain in Langford to link up with the new Leigh Road interchange at the TransCanada Highway.

Drivers now turn onto Bear Mountain Parkway off Millstream Road to head up a winding incline, past housing developments, to reach the resort, where two golf courses, a hotel and restaurants are waiting.

Still to be finished is the final 2.2-kilometre leg of the Parkway that would connect it to the Leigh Road interchange.

The interchange opened in June but motorists are only able to drive as far north as McCallum Road, where they are looped back toward Victoria.

The Parkway extension is dependent on developers. Ecoasis is among several owners of large parcels of land on that portion of Skirt Mountain, where the resort is located. Private money would pay for the Parkway.

Ecoasis has announced that community input will be sought prior to moving forward with further development. The company is building luxury recreational properties in Whistler and in Hawaii. It is partners in those projects, and in Bear Mountain, with the Kusumoto family of Vancouver.

It bought the resort from Bear Mountain Land Holdings, wholly owned by HSBC Bank Canada. The resort went into creditor protection for eight months in 2010 and original developer Len Barrie was removed as CEO of Bear Mountain Partnership.

At that time, the bank said it was owed $250 million and took ownership of the site late in 2010.

Highlands Mayor Jane Mendum is welcoming the chance for community input.

A golf course is the only Bear Mountain resort-related project developed in the Highlands. Potential housing and a resort with some commercial use were put on hold when the resort developers ran into financial trouble.

During the three-year pause in activity at the resort, the Highlands has crafted a community sustainability plan, Mendum said Thursday. The timing is opportune to have a conversation with the new owner, she said.

While Langford is known as a hotbed of development, the Highlands, with just 800 homes, has treasured its more rural character. Close to 40 per cent of its area is designated parkland.

Langford Mayor Stew Young said “[Ecoasis] seem to be community players and I like the fact that Dan lives in Victoria. So there’s a really good Island connection here.”

“They seem like nice, down-to-earth people,” Young said. “Langford will be working with them, absolutely no problem. We want to see that thing back up and succeed.”

When the resort does well, that benefits the economics of the entire region, Young said. People will fly in to golf, stay at hotels and more. “It just became a hive of activities.”

Young is hoping to see a return of major events at the resort that will draw locals and visitors.