$600 million Luxury Resort to be Landmark Destination for Generations to Come
NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. and UCLUELET, B.C., CANADA- Elke Loof-Koehler, CEO and president of Marine Drive Properties, has signed an agreement with Nicklaus Design to bring a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course to Canada’s West Coast. Set on both the open Pacific and Ucluelet Inlet, the resort covers 370 acres located next to the Pacific Rim National Park, just north of the charming coastal village of Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island. With the creative genius of Jack Nicklaus, the resort will offer players a unique experience with its sunrise-to-sunset oceanfront course.
The first phase of development will incorporate the design of the 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and the exclusive "Signature Circle"—an enclave of 30 oceanfront and semi-oceanfront estate lots that vary in size from a half an acre to three-fourths of an acre. Owners will have access to a private putting green, helicopter landing pad and park. Real estate offerings include an internationally branded condo-hotel and resort residences overlooking the open Pacific.
"We are excited about the opportunity Ms. Loof-Koehler and Marine Drive Properties have given us to create something truly special on a unique and spectacular piece of property," Jack Nicklaus said. "If you had to compare or describe this site, you might say it has the feel of a Cypress Point. With the current routing, we have the opportunity to get as many as two holes on the Pacific Ocean and as many as four on the Ucluelet Inlet.
On the Pacific side of the property are steep cliffs with waves crashing below, and on the Inlet side, you have holes that will play alongside a bay or a bluff. In between the coasts, you have rugged
topography which lends itself to a great variety of inland holes – some with great ocean views. With this dramatic mix of canvases, the potential exists for a memorable golf experience."
In keeping with its environmental philosophy, Marine Drive Properties will protect 70 percent of the resort as green space, making this a low-density resort with a limited inventory of exclusive vacation home sites.
"We’re creating the premier oceanfront golf resort on Canada’s West Coast, one that we believe will be a landmark destination for generations to come," said Ms. Loof-Koehler, who founded Marine Drive Properties. "Jack Nicklaus’ green approach to course design, and his vision for creating courses that blend into the natural environment, is a phenomenal match with our vision for this resort. We are very excited about the signing of this contract with Jack Nicklaus."
Neighboring the Pacific Rim National Park, the resort is located in Ucluelet on Vancouver Island’s West Coast where the temperate rainforest meets the ocean. The property is within the UNESCO Clayoquot Biosphere Reserve that draws over one million visitors from around the world every year.
"Visitors to this region come to experience the extremes that Canada’s unspoiled west coast offers – be it the winter storms or summer sunsets across the vast open sea," said Marny Saunders, Manager of Business Services and Special Events, Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce. "Many return seasonally for the wide-ranging recreational activities the region offers, such as surfing, kayaking, hiking, sport fishing, walking the 12-mile stretch of Long Beach or simply sitting back to unwind."
The resort is accessible via a 90-minute ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo, and 2.5-hour drive to the site. The resort is also just a 45-minute plane trip away, as Vancouver offers regularly scheduled flights into Long Beach airport.
For more information on Marine Drive Properties, please visit www.marinedriveproperties.com. For additional information on Jack Nicklaus and Nicklaus Design, please visit www.nicklaus.com.
About Marine Drive Properties
Marine Drive Properties Ltd. is a privately owned corporation focused on Resort and Residential Development. Ms. Loof-Koehler has been creating superior real estate developments in British Columbia interior and Vancouver Island since 1990. Her most recent projects are located on the West Coast of Vancouver Island in the Village of Ucluelet. Tauca Lea Resort and Spa, an 81-suite Strata Resort with Restaurant and Spa, and Marine Drive Properties’ 100-acre Oceanfront Resort Development ,which includes a comprehensive strategy incorporating a 132-suite oceanfront hotel, residential, resort and vacation homes. Ms. Loof-Koehler’s background includes Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Design.
About Nicklaus Design
For more than 35 years, the mission of the Nicklaus Companies has been to enhance the golf experience, and to bring to the national and international consumer golf-related businesses and services that mirror the high standards established in the career and life of Jack Nicklaus. These services include golf-course design, the development of golf and real estate communities, and the marketing and licensing of golf products and services. Nicklaus Design, recognized as the world leader in golf course design, has been involved with over 300 courses open for play in 29 countries and 38 states. Of those, Jack Nicklaus has designed, co-designed or re-designed 250 courses around the globe, 47 of which have been ranked in various national or international Top-100 lists. Nicklaus Design currently has over 50 courses under construction, as well as projects under development in 32 different countries.
Contact:
Marine Drive Properties
Asa Zanatta
Tel: 604 408 1389/604 724 7755
E-mail: azanatta@dhzmedia.com
Nicklaus Design/Nicklaus Companies
Scott Tolley
Director of Communications
11780 U.S. Highway #1, Suite 500
North Palm Beach, FL. 33408
Tel: 561-227-0300
Fax: 561-227-0351
scott.tolley@nicklaus.com
