Vol. 3, January 2009
Real Estate
Zoning Approved and
Crown Grant Complete
By the close of 2008, we saw two critical steps in the process of developing the site on Hudson Bay Mountain come to fruition. In accordance with the master development plan, we received the zoning amendment from the Regional District and purchased the land from the Province.Winter Season Opens Strong
All of the hard work this past summer has paid off with the winter season opening to excellent business and great feedback from our guests. Revenues to the end of the Holiday Season were up 14 percent over last year! Guests are heaping praise on our team for friendly service, reliable operations, great grooming and, of course, the newly opened Trail to Town.
A huge hit that many considered a 20-year-old dream come true, the Trail to Town saw hundreds of people skiing out to Smithers each day over the holidays.Summer grooming on the existing trails meant the trails were skiable on the first operating days, while work on the lifts resulted in reliable, consistent operation. Not to mention the seat cushions on Skyline that were a welcomed addition for our guests.
All in all the resort operations are delivering an experience that complements the new real estate and supports the long term value of Hudson Bay Mountain.
Hudson Bay Mountain Comes to Market
The end of January will usher in the first release of fully serviced home sites on Hudson Bay Mountain. If you’ve been to Smithers lately you may have seen the billboards that were installed just before the holidays. You may also have seen the ads in Northword Magazine. Either way we are now ready and eager to transition into the real deal.
Presentation Centre
Opens January 29
The Presentation Centre in Smithers will open its doors on January 29, 2009. Here you can view a model of the development site, see the plans, and visit with our resort professionals.
New Websites Tell the Story
Visit www.HudsonBayMountain.com and enjoy the option of accessing our new resort website or the Hudson Bay Mountain Estates website. Actually, we encourage you to visit both for the whole story; and while visiting the Hudson Bay Mountain Estates website be sure to look at the site plan for the first offering. This will give you an overview of the lots that are available for 2009.Priority Registration Coming Soon
Over the next 10 days we expect to have everything in place to go to market with the Phase 1 2009 offering of 56 prime alpine home sites on Hudson Bay Mountain. These will be the only lots sold on the mountain in 2009.During the past year we committed to a Priority Sales Program that gives priority access to investors and residents of the Bulkley Valley. Although details on this priority program will be circulated next week, it essentially gives those on the program the opportunity to secure their lot before we open up sales to the general public.
Owners Given Many Options
This development was designed with a wide array of options for owners. Since this is the first offering on the mountain there is no time limit on when you have to build - this will change at some point, but is a guaranteed benefit for Release A buyers.You can also live full time on the site if you wish. Each lot will be serviced by a paved road and have underground water, hydro, communications cable, and sewer lines. And not only will the views be spectacular, you will also be able to ski to and from every lot in the development.
You can go big (a multi-room primary residence with or without a separate rental suite and a garage) or small (a 600 square foot residence and garage), with design controls ensuring the streetscape works for all. Each lot either rises up from the road or falls away, ensuring that all views are preserved. Also, you can use the residence for your personal use, rent it out, or both.
For short term resort rentals there will be a resort association to market the accommodations and for a fee they will manage the individual rental sites.
We also have a preferred builder program. You are free to build your own residence; however, if you are looking for a builder, we have pre-screened a selection of reputable builders that you can consult about your new home.