The existing restaurant and hotel buildings at Schooner Cove could face the wrecking ball as early as 2014, setting the wheels in motion for construction to begin on a major development in Nanoose Bay, say officials with Fairwinds.
The plan includes three separate sites in the area. The first site to see work will likely be the area right at the marina, where the hotel closed in 2008 and the cafe and beer and wine store in 2010, says Fairwinds spokesperson Rebecca Sax. The Fairwinds development is owned by the B.C. Investment Management Corporation (BCIMC), which manages public sector pension plans. A company named Bentall Kennedy manages the development.
Sax said the company’s plans are to redevelop the area into what she called a “seaside village” with a mix of residential, shops and a small grocery store.
The site that includes the existing buildings would be developed into a mix of shops, services and 300 condominiums, said Sax. The development has been through the Official Community Plan process, including public hearings, and is officially part of the Nanoose Bay neighbourhood plan. Any work on any of the sites would still require development permits from the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN). Sax said the company currently has zoning amendment requests, which need to be passed before any development permits can be considered, in front of the RDN.