Delta Deal Good to Go!
The demand for the budding Kootenay Tourism Product is about grow – exponentially. Canadian Rockies International Airport (YXC) is about to take a monumental step into the international market place. The groundwork has been put in place for Delta Airlines to provide non-stop flights from Salt Lake City to the Canadian Rockies International Airport.
The first Delta flight is pencilled in from Salt Lake City to Cranbrook on December 17th of this year.
“This is a growing area, access has been a challenge to the region and this is ripe for people to come to this community from the States, and this is the easiest and the fastest way to get there.” said Kent Myers of Airplanners.
The potential economic impact of the inbound Delta flights to the area is enormous, allowing US visitors to enjoy the incredible Kootenay lifestyle, with just a 2 hour flight.
However the real gem of the deal might prove to be the outbound flight for locals, and recreational real estate owners.
International Carriers know that this is a new and unproven market, as such a guarantee will be required. In a brilliant display of cooperation and teamwork, municipalities and private enterprise have teamed together to ensure that this deal is reached.
There has been strong participation from a wide cross section of Kimberley and Cranbrook businesses. The support continues both up and down the valley, with Intrawest at Panorama, Copper Point, at Fairmont, and from virtually every business in Fernie.
This is a milestone that the that the airport marketing committee has been working toward for many years.
The impact that this will have on the local economy is going to be huge. There is strong demand for the Ski and Golf product, and with other destinations such as Whistler falling out of favor for being oversold, smart investors are getting in while prices are still attainable.
Salt Lake City is a smart tactical move as it is considered an omni hub and is Delta’s fastest growing domestic hub in terms of destinations served. Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer Salt Lake City customers 335 peak-day departures to 108 nonstop destinations.
“Service is set to start in December with a 50 passenger jet. Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday – they leave Salt Lake City at 11:10 and will land here at 1:08. They’ll return and be back in Salt Lake City at 3:33. That will be a connecting flight that will go out toward the United States across the Delta hub.” Myers said.
According to Myers, the excitement does not stop with the exposure to the to the international market:
“We have talked to West Jet. We will talk to Air Canada. We want to grow the domestic market as well.“
Urban Trail Will Link Kimberley and Cranbrook
The Trans Canada Trail is about to get one of the most breathtaking vistas that BC has to offer, a 100 mile panorama of the Rocky Mountain looking over the Wycliffe plains.
This marks a new era of Mountain biking, and trekking in the East Kootenays that starts in Kimberley, rolls past the new Shadow Mountain Development Lifestyle Community and connects to the hub of the valley Cranbrook.
“I know that I can speak for Shadow Mountain Family when I say that we truly thrilled that this project happening right in our back yard!” said Fred Mehl, “This new trail system is going to provide our future residents year round recreation, from hiking and biking in the summer months to snowshoeing and cross country skiing in the winter. This is going to be just fantastic.”
The federal and provincial governments are investing more than $1.8 million to turn an abandoned railway into a 25-km urban trail. The funding enables the City of Cranbrook to turn an abandoned railway along Highway 95A into a 25-kilometre, three-metre wide commuter and recreation path that connects to existing trails in Cranbrook and Kimberley.
The recently abandoned railway line provides a timely opportunity to link the region’s two largest communities and complete a section of the Trans Canada Trail that connects the Kootenay region with Alberta. This project is conditionally approved pending the successful completion of an environmental assessment.
“The rails to trails project will convert this unused railway grade into a community recreational trail, encouraging residents of Cranbrook and Kimberley to be active and get outdoors,” said Honourable Jim Abbott, M.P., “Our Government is working in partnership, through the Canada-B.C. Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund, to build healthy, prosperous communities.”
For over a hundred years, the railway between Kimberley and Cranbrook has been in place. With the mighty Sullivan Mine being closed for more than 6 years, the “Rails to Trails” program is beginning of a new Chapter for the area – that of year round recreation.
Kimberley Boomed over the Holidays
KIMBERLEY, BC – The Kimberley Ski Hill experienced phenomenal Christmas Season, blessed by both visitors an snow.
“Today is the first day we’ve been able to relax,” said Chris McCurry – Public Relations for the Kimberley Alpine Resort. Long time staff staff of KAR say that these were crowds like the Resort hasn’t seen before.
The premier on-hill condo development, Sullivan Stone was booked solid throughout the holidays, and into January. There are several units available for purchase in this development, please contact me if you have any questions.
The snow conditions over the festive season were great! There was a great dump of snow just before Christmas Day, and another one a couple days after. It was perfect conditions.
Sioban Staplin, Manager of the Kimberley Chamber of Commerce, says that things have been very busy at the Tourist Information Centre over the holiday period.
“We’ve had lots of folks in from all over – Brits, Albertans, Kiwis – and a lot of tour buses. Every time I’ve been in a store it was packed. The sporting stores especially were doing a booming business,” Staplin said. “The accommodators were really full and so was the ski hill parking lot. There were lift lines, but they are nothing to complain about. They weren’t too long.
The demand for the Downtown to Resort shuttle bus was on the rise as well. This bus operated this year by Kimberley Transit through an agreement with the Chamber, saw the need to add another run in mid-after noon at 2 p.m. to bring people downtown.
“We are trying to get people down to Dynamiter Hockey Games and the a Aquatic centre with the shuttle and also promote other activities like bowling or taking in a movie,” she said.
The Chamber is planning for WinterFest activities over the Alberta Family Day weekend in February.
“We’ll have lots of fun events and while there won’t be a big air event this year, RCR is going to have a Rail jam.”
If you would like to visit Kimberley and see what all the fuss is about, I have arranged for VIP Package pricing for my clients to stay at Sullivan Stone Lodge. Please give me a call at 432-9200 for more information.
Cranbrook Boundary Expansion Approved
On Friday, October 5, 2007 the City of Cranbrook was notified by Ministry of Community Services that the City’s boundary expansion application has been approved through an Order in Council (O.I.C.). Lands included in the application included the area known as Shadow Mountain.
Mayor Ross Priest stated “The notice is good news for the City we note that the application was successful due to a tremendous amount of work by Provincial Government department employees, City Staff within Corporate Services, the efforts of MLA Bill Bennett, in supporting the application, but most importantly, because the application makes good sense for the growth and wise planning of the city for the immediate future and for years beyond.”
Mayor Priest added, “We’re most pleased to have the much discussed and anticipated Shadow Mountain project moved to the forefront of project legitimacy and welcome in the forthcoming proponents submissions, as their development plans can now be incorporated into appropriate city planning.”
9000 Acre Development Secures a Strong Future for Cranbrook BC
The Shadow Mountain Development pushed the boundaries of the City of Cranbrook as far as the St. Marys River earlier this year. Now bold moves are being made, fueled by the Airport Expansion, a strong local economy and forward thinking municipal and regional governments, to ensure a clear path for strong steady growth for the Cranbrook area over the next 50 years.
Calgary-based Brown and Associates Planning Group sought a boundary extension on the east side of the city for huge housing and recreational development to be known as the Novak / Ramparts Lands.
Council passed the unanimous motion authorizing proposed boundary extension to accommodate the 9000 acre development which will include thousands of acres of public open space as well as several residential communities, a business Park, commercial developments, a ski resort, golf courses, several potential school sites, artificial lakes and massive Park area.
Acting Mayor Scott Manjak cautioned that the time frame for the project could be 50 years but expressed great enthusiasm for the basic concepts of the development.
“It would surely be a lasting legacy for the city,” he said, adding the project represents the residential values, recreational values and my own diversity values the city is promoting through its official community plan.
Brown and Associates Town Planner Paul Mercer said the project is in the very preliminary stages yet and gave no cost figures or numbers in terms of how many people may ultimately live there. He unveiled a series of large overhead schematics showing counsel the potential scope of the project.
The schematics showed an area larger than Cranbrook itself on the east side of the city accessed by Baker Mountain Road on the east side and a connection to Highway 3 on the east. The property extends almost to Philips reservoir in the South and Highway 3 nearer Isador Canyon in the North.
The boundary on the map also includes the community forest on the West, but the forest lies on crown land and is not included in the project, Mercer said. The 800 acre community forest land would be combined with 1200 acres of the Novak / Ramparts land to make a 2000 acres Central Park that would be one of the largest urban parks in North America.
“Inspiration for the project arose from Cranbrook’s rapidly growing development, and the proximity of development property to the city.” Mercer said.
With the Novak / Ramparts project on the long term horizon, the scope of Shadow Mountain Development success is enhanced.
For more information on how you can get in on this recreational lifestyle community, and enjoy living on a 19 hole golf course, please call me today at 432-9200.