Bear Mountain Resort is a 1,200-acre development in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, which will include golf courses, residences and a hotel.

Bear Mountain Resort, a 1,200-acre mixed-use development, is the biggest project Scansa Construction Ltd. has participated in, says President Kory Gronnestad. Len Barrie, Gronnestad's brother-in-law and president and CEO of Bear Mountain Resort, initiated the $2.4 billion project, located in suburban Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. “I told him to find some land,” Gronnestad says. “He came to me one day and said, 'I found something.' We went to look at it and decided, 'let's build.'”

The development will contain 1,000 single-family homes, 1,000 town houses, 3,000 condominiums, two Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole golf courses, 600,000 square feet of commercial development and a 170,000-square-foot clubhouse and hotel.

The company began the 20-year project in 2002, Gronnestad says, and has completed one golf course, opened the Westin Hotel in 2005, 500 single-family homes and 500 town houses and condominium units, most of which are occupied. It is currently working on the second golf course and has 300 condominiums under development, he adds.

Also, 250,000 square feet of commercial development will be completed, says Project Developer Les Bjola. Mountain Bean Coffee Co. was the first commercial development to open in December 2006. Other businesses that have opened this year include restaurants Kuma Sushi and Jack's, a pub.

Gronnestad and Barrie were attracted to the land, which originally contained forest and other wilderness, because it was a large, continuous property, which is hard to find, Gronnestad explains. They also liked the region because of the weather. Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, has the mildest climate in Canada and the area is green most of the year, he adds.

Their initial plans involved only a golf course, but while developing the project, they decided to add residences and commercial buildings as a revenue source.

The residences range in size, but single-family homes start at 2,500 square feet and condominiums are 500 square feet and up. The residential developments are geared toward empty nesters who enjoy golf.

In 2005, Westworld Magazine named Bear Mountain the No. 1 place to play golf in Canada.

Development Hurdles
Bear Mountain Development is being constructed in two municipalities – Langford and Highlands. Gronnestad describes Langford as a pro-development community where the permit process was completed within a year.

“It is such a great municipality,” he says. “Everything's been smooth sailing and it's just go, go, go.”

However, some Highlands residents have opposed the development, so the process took much longer, Bjola says. The company received a permit to build a golf course in Highlands after five years, but it has taken even longer to get approval to build the other developments. “It has been a struggle,” he says. “They have a very strong no-growth group in the community. They have been confrontational since day one.”

The project has received the necessary go-ahead from Highlands, but the Capital Regional Districts water and sewer departments have not yet agreed to provide services. “We're hoping to get that wrapped up in six months,” Gronnestad says. If it does not receive approval, the resort will have its own sewer treatment facility and will drill wells for its own water utility, he adds. He says that the economic impact on the area will be huge because it is expected to create 1,000 jobs.

Ronald McDonald
In July, Bear Mountain donated a two-acre, $1 million site in the resort to build the first Ronald McDonald Family Retreat in North America. This will be a free vacation spot for children and families who have dealt with long hospital stays and difficult medical treatment.

The two-year project will consist of two residences and a multipurpose clubhouse. Canada TV station CTV and “Canadian Idol” are sponsoring an auction to fund the clubhouse. “While our partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities is arguably our largest donation to date, people can expect to see more from Bear Mountain as we grow and develop,” the company says.

Scansa Construction
Scansa Construction Ltd., founded in 1983, is a full-service construction company that offers project and land development, project management, design and construction management services, the company says.

Its project scope includes earthwork and excavation, underground utilities, golf courses, buildings and residential homes. Before Bear Mountain, the company's biggest projects ranged between $3 million to $4 million in the civil sector.

“Our goal is to provide our clients with a timely, efficient and cost-conscious method to complete their construction project, no matter how big or small,” the company says.

A client's happiness and satisfaction is very important to the company. Scansa requires that each project is of utmost quality and is within budget.

“We take pride in the job, whatever it may be, and knowing that upon the completion of any given project, we have provided our client with a sound product that was constructed with care and in the most efficient manner,” it says.