Ucluelet the next boom? Will it's new golf-residential project take off?

The town of Ucluelet, on Vancouver Island's rugged west coast, will soon be attracting more than the storm watching crowd. The community will soon be able to host to elite golfers - and not just for a few rounds. Planned for the next recreation boom town is the Wyndansea Oceanfront Golf Resort at Long Beach, just north of town. Besides this $650-million project, the municipality is gearing up for a banner year in the construction sector.

"Ucluelet will have the biggest building year in history in 2007," says Felice Mazzoni, director of planning for the district. "Projects include the Black Rock hotel development, a single-family residential subdivision that will comprise medium to high-end properties; multi-family developments; many infill residential and industrial projects; a large residential subdivision to be constructed by Weyerhauser; and the golf course project. We're very busy."

And so is S&P Destination Properties of Vancouver, the international resort marketing company handling the sales and marketing duties for Wyndansea. No stranger to representing upscale properties, S&P has sold the Trump Tower Waikiki and the Trump Ocean Resort Baja, Mexico.

"The company recently set the world record for one day sales, when $700 million in sales were racked up for the Waikiki project," says Howard Kruschke, director of sales. "Since our principal markets are Hawaii, California, Mexico and Colorado, we weren't really looking to get back into the Canadian market. But when Elke Loof-Koehler, the CEO and president of Marine Drive Properties Ltd. and the developer of the project, suggested we look at it, we knew it would be a world-class offering."

Besides the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, the multi-phase project features home sites, town homes and condominium hotel suites for sale. A reservation program will be used to market the first offering of 29 home sites, says Kruschke.

"These will be offered at $1.5 million for a one-half to three-quarter acre site," he says. "We originally had 30 to sell, but Mr. Nicklaus bought the first one."

The hotel suites will come up for sale next, in late May 2007, says Kruschke. "For both the home sites and the suites, we will be contacting people from our database of those who would be interested in owning real estate of this type. We'll get the word out over the next two months to resort connoisseurs. It will be low key."

Golf aficionados will likely be intrigued by the course's location, adjacent to Pacific Rim National Park and the often-roiling waters of the ocean. "There are very few true waterfront golf courses on the Pacific side," he says. "Bandon Dunes in Oregon and Pebble Beach in California are the only others in North America. Golf courses on the Pacific side are anomalies, and Wyndansea will definitely put Long Beach on the map."

Stephen Duke, director of sales and marketing for Marine Drive Properties, agrees. "The golf course will be very unique and deliver a real golf experience. There are many moods to the property. For example, there's a gentle slope to the ocean on the peninsula side. Some holes will be on the inlet side, where the water is calm. Golfers will enjoy different weather and different winds, depending on where they are. It won't be like golfing in the desert or in the mountains and from a golfer's perspective, it will be interesting."

Currently, the golf course and road are under construction, and the course will be ready for play in 2009, he says. The hotel is expected to debut in 2010. "The condo hotel will bear a luxury brand," says Duke. "We're now in negotiations with three companies. Though we can't yet reveal a name, the brand will be a five-star landmark that is recognized internationally."

The global market will like view the region as a destination. The area that includes Ucluelet and Tofino will be a "future hot spot in the travel industry," says Kruschke. "And new development will be great for the community. The town council is very supportive of Wyndansea, and it's open to development."

The number of development projects in Ucluelet this year illustrates the point. So does the amount of perks received from developers. The community has received $11 million in amenities, land and cash courtesy of its density bonusing program, says Mazzoni. "We have a new skateboard park and we're building a community centre," he says. "It's a big thing for the city to get that kind of return from developers."

Land owners are also reaping the rewards of a vibrant building sector. "Five years ago, $150,000 to $200,000 would buy a half-acre lot," he says. "It goes for $900,000 now. And this year, that same lot will break $1 million."