Last week, the “for sale” signs went up on the Squamish Oceanfront Development.
International real estate company Cushman and Wakefield is rolling out its soft marketing campaign for the 59-acre site in the heart of Squamish, said Jonathan Silcock, the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation's (SODC) project manager.
“They have got an information package that they are distributing locally, nationally and internationally,” he told The Chief.
The package includes a new video, highlighting Squamish as one of the fastest-growing communities in British Columbia, with its population expected to hit 20,000 by 2020. The production goes on to tout the property as the largest waterfront development site in the Lower Mainland.
The printed material includes maps, diagrams and the community's vision for the lots, as outlined in the Oceanfront Sub-Area Plan. It breaks down the more than 2 million square feet of buildable area and spotlights the approximately $45 million spent on environmental investigations for the site.
The marketing is all a part of the awareness phase, Silcock said. Cushman and Wakefield is targeting the world's big-wig developers on behalf of the SODC — a wholly owned subsidiary of the District of Squamish.
“We would prefer the entire parcel goes at one time,” Silcock said of the project, but noted the SODC is also open to other options.
It's too early to gauge feedback from the “soft” campaign, he said. In conjunction with the marketing, SODC officials aim to keep the public and community up to date on the project's progress, Silcock added.
The SODC hired Cushman and Wakefield in June. The company has a history in Squamish, the company's senior vice president, Bill Randall, told The Chief at the time. It worked on the Waterfront Landing residential development before the proposal ran into difficulties.
