A developer said a letter restating his commitment for single-family-lot zoning on 550 acres near Courtenay that includes a popular recreation area on the Puntledge River was hand-delivered this week to the Comox Valley Regional District.
It follows David Dutcyvich’s installation of a toll booth on the Duncan Main Line Road, west of Courtenay, on Saturday. He’s charging $2 for cars and $5 for large trucks passing through his property on the road.
“We want our zoning like we were promised,” Dutcyvich said Thursday.
Dutcyvich’s desire to subdivide his land has run up against the regional district’s growth plan limiting future growth mainly to Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland.
Local residents are keenly interested in the matter. Some are opposed, saying the site should be preserved as a wilderness area and free public access should be continued. Others sympathize with Dutcyvich.
Dutcyvich, who owns 3L Developments, said he had
400 acres at first and since expanded to 550 acres, abutting the north end of Courtenay. The property includes Stotan Falls on the Puntledge River, a popular swimming area.
Dutcyvich said that originally the land was zoned for five-acre parcels, which would have permitted 77 lots, with a value of about $22 million, he said.
The district approached 3L seeking a park, including Stotan Falls, he said.
The plan would have seen about 740 single-family lots created, including some commercial space, Dutcyvich said.
Lots would be sold over the course of a decade, with 20 to 25 each year, he said.
There was interest from potential buyers, some from the mainland, keen to have a lot near the mountain, said Dutcyvich, who has headed other development projects on Vancouver Island, including Inwood Creek Estates at Duncan.
Dutcyvich is talking about a park of up to 250 acres on the development site.
That would be larger than Victoria’s Beacon Hill Park, which is close to 200 acres.
Problems arose when the district changed the land’s zoning to allow for 50-acre parcels, he said.
The district’s regional growth plan aims to direct new growth to existing communities, rather than the area held by 3L.
Regional District board chairman Bruce Joliffe said Thursday that he can not comment on the matter because he has not seen the letter yet.
It will probably come before the board, he said.
The district’s regional growth strategy is being examined by the board this year, as required by legislation, Joliffe said.
Meanwhile, most motorists are continuing to use the toll road, which serves as a shortcut, Dutcyvich said.
Local residents, logging trucks and hikers heading to Forbidden Plateau all use it.
