HALFMOON BAY PROPERTY
LEGAL DESCRIPTION
The subject property is legally described as:
District Lot 2389, Group 1, New Westminster District
The PID No. is 015-906-302
The property is currently in the name of West Island Land Use Consulting Inc.
The property is 160 acres in size.
LOCATION
The subject property is located adjacent to Sunshine Coast Highway, in the small
community of Halfmoon Bay.
The entrance to the site is immediately across the Highway from its intersection
with Redroofs Road, thereby providing a safe and easy access off of the Highway
into the site.
NEIGHBOURHOOD DATA
Halfmoon Bay is one of the five unincorporated rural areas located in the
Sunshine Coast Regional District. Halfmoon Bay has a population of 2,800 people,
many of whom are primarily summer residents. This appears to changing
however, with more and more people living year round in the area.
The area encompasses a small village of permanent homes, summer cottages and
five regional parks on the Sunshine Coast. The region stretches northwest along
the coast from Sargeant Bay and includes Redroofs, Welcome Woods, Halfmoon
Bay, and Secret Cove.
The Halfmoon Bay area was originally occupied by natives of the Coast Salish
Nation, from which the town of Sechelt took its name. Access to the Halfmoon
Bay community is via Highway 101, approximately 10 kilometers north of Sechelt
to Redroofs Road. Powell River travelers take a ferry from Saltery Bay to Earls
Cove at the north end of the Sunshine Coast and then drive south to Redroofs
Road. Public transit from Langdale and charter bus services is also available.
Halfmoon Bay Elementary School, the community’s only elementary school
ranges from kindergarten to grade seven. After completing this level of
education, students can to one of the three high schools located on the Sunshine
Coast.
This area affords many different sports and outdoor activities such as boating,
fishing, diving, cycling, hiking, golfing, and mountain biking. Services in this area
are limited, but there are four Provincial Parks within close proximity to Halfmoon
Bay, as well as a convenience store and bakery. Sechelt, approximately 10 km
southeast of Halfmoon Bay is the closest developed centre providing most of the
amenities of city living.
REGIONAL AND MUNICIPAL DATA
The Sunshine Coast Regional District of British Columbia is located on the
southern mainland coast, across Howe Sound, from Vancouver. It borders on the
Powell River Regional District to the north, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District
to the east, and across Howe Sound, the Metro Vancouver District to the south.
To the west, across Georgia Strait, is Vancouver Island.
The Sunshine Coast can be reached, from Vancouver, by taking the Trans-Canada
Highway to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, then boarding the BC Ferry to
Langdale. The crossing takes approximately 40 minutes. The area is also
accessible from Powell River by a 45 minute ferry ride from Saltery Bay to Earl’s
Cove.
Incorporated in 1967, the main population centers of the Sunshine Coat Regional
District are Gibsons and Sechelt. According to information complied by BC
Statistics 2007 annual estimate, based on 2006 census profiles: the population of
the Sunshine Coast Regional District is 29,781 living on a land area of 1, 458
square miles. The majority of the Sunshine Coast is sparsely populated, with most
of the settled areas located along the coast. Gibsons has a population of 4, 182
and Sechelt has a population of 8, 454. There are five electoral areas, seven
unincorporated areas and three Native Reserves on the Sunshine Coast.
The local economy is based on the strengths of the construction, tourism and
service businesses. Referencing the Quarterly Regional Statistics (First Quarter,
2008), approximately 40% of the labour force is involved in the service sector.
The area has several wood processing facilities with the major operation being a
large pulp and paper mill located in Port Mellon. Given the reasonably close
proximity to Vancouver, and lower housing costs, the regular ferry service allows
daily and weekly commuting to Vancouver.
St. Mary’s Hospital, located in Sechelt is a community hospital which provides the
only acute and extended hospital care to residents and travelers to the Sunshine
Coast. There are two medical clinics and specialty medical services in the
community. Home care is provided by the Sunshine Coast Community Services
Society. School District 46 Sunshine Coast covers an area northwest of
Vancouver, including the communities of Gibsons and Sechelt. There are a total
of fourteen schools comprising of ten elementary schools, three secondary
schools and one alternative school. There is also an extension of Capilano College
which offers post-secondary education.
There are daily scheduled flights and charter service from Gibson/Sechelt Airport
to Vancouver Airport, Vancouver Harbour, Nanaimo, Victoria, Pender Harbour,
Powell River, Jervis Inlet, and Sechelt Inlet.
Malaspina Coach Lines operates daily to connect the Sunshine Coast with
Vancouver. Also local bus service is provided between Sechelt and Langdale.
The Sunshine Coast enjoys mild, moist winters and warm dry summers that range
from freezing in winter to highs of 30C in summer. Annual rainfall is
approximately 100 cm.
CURRENT ZONING
The property is currently zoned Rural Forest (RU-4). Permitted uses area forest
management and ones single family dwelling per parcel. This zoning is reflective
of its historical use for forestry extraction.
Based on informal discussions with representatives of the Regional District, it is
believed that rezoning of the site for a minimum of 60 homesites would receive
favourable consideration.
SITE IMPROVEMENTS
The current owner of the site has constructed the main road into the site. This
road is ready for pavement. The property was also cleaned up and all logging
debris was removed. All vegetation, worthy of retention, was retained.
The road prism was also constructed to allow for services to be placed within the
road right of way.
Four small lakes were also created on the site to handle drainage and to provide
another focus for the site. Trails have been constructed around the lakes.