What is Sage Hills Really Up To?

Letter to the Editor,

I read with interest Kip Keylock’s letter to the editor September 24 in a local paper regarding growth in the Comox Valley and Sage Hills. On page 5 of the document entitled “Regional Growth Strategies” published by the BC Government is a list of 14 provincial goals for RGS. In other words a regional governmental growth strategy is expected to conform to this list.

Let us see what Sage Hills themselves and Kip Keylock are saying about some of Sage Hills goals. On page 5 and page 20 of their (Sage Hills) December 16, 2009 to the RGS is the following statement: "Sage Hills is planned to open with 700 full-time (“permanent”) jobs, many of which are skilled/professional positions, placing Sage Hills as the 5 th largest employer in the Valley. As such Sage Hills will function as a significant employment and settlement node, and not just a residential development or subdivision." Kip states that "the initial estimates for student enrollment are 500-600 students". How is it possible for only 500-600 students to financially support the initial 700 (most likely high paying) skilled/professional jobs, pay off the huge capital it will take to build a university with all its infrastructure and housing units from scratch plus pay off the investors (it is a private for-profit undertaking)?

Kip states that Sage Hills “has modeled itself in part, after a successful Sports Academy in Bradenton, Florida.” That appears to be IMG Academies, a multi-billion dollar facility. One of Sage Hills' management team includes Peter Johnson, who “worked with Mark McCormack for 30 years to build IMG into the global sports business it is today.” I am not aware that any of the management team live close by. Also, their listed “project team of specialists” are based in Vancouver, Toronto and various cities in the United States.

Kip says “decisions must be made in order to keep any momentum going.” Who is the momentum for? There is plenty of momentum already going on elsewhere: Trilogy, Kensington Island Properties, Harbour View Landing, 300 new proposed homes on 73 acres between Fraser and Buckstone Roads, a 143 residential lot project at Saratoga Beach, Longlands and other smaller ones of course. Kip states that Sage Hills will “contribute greatly to our economy.” Translation: this will be a large project.

Will Sage Hills (or for that matter these other projects coming on stream) meet the Provincial goals for RGS: avoiding urban sprawl; settlement patterns that minimize the use of automobiles; the efficient movement of goods and people; protecting environmentally sensitive areas; maintaining the integrity of a secure and productive resource base; economic development that supports the unique character of communities; reducing and preventing air, land and water pollution; adequate, affordable and appropriate housing; adequate inventories of suitable land and resources for future settlement; protecting the quality and quantity of ground water and surface water; settlement patterns that minimize the risks associated with natural hazards; preserving, creating and linking urban and rural open space including parks and recreations areas; planning for energy supply and promoting efficient use, conversion and alternative forms of energy; and good stewardship of land, sites and structures with cultural heritage?

The bulk of the population at Sage Hills will be made up of international students and some short term contract personnel that will “turn over” and have no vested interest in being part of our community but will be of a somewhat transitional nature. Many of the jobs, because of the specialized nature of the facility, will be filled by outsiders.

The 2083 acres owned by Sage Hills near Royston currently are basically raw undeveloped land not zoned for such a large project. IMG academies only has about 400 acres in Bradenton, Florida for their large facility. North Island College, here in Courtenay, has over 5,000 registered students but only needs a few acres of land in which to accomplish that.

Why does Sage Hills need such a large tract of land? Will this be like having an American city created in our back yard?

*published in the Comox Valley Echo September 28, 2010 under "Opinions" and with the header of "Sage Hills: American City?"

Please see the preceding editorial: The Fools on Sage Hills

The Fools on Sage Hill

Letter to the Editor:

Sage Hills Development, (a wholly- owned subsidiary of IAC Independ- ent Academ- ies Canada Inc.) made a submission to the CVRD (Regional Growth Strategy) dated December 16, 2009 in order to persuade the committee to reclassify their project as “Compact Nodal Growth with New Settlement Areas.” Sage Hills took issue that the RGS consultants had classified Sage Hills as only “Compact Nodal Growth”.

There are several issues concerning the Sage Hills plans. The shear size of the project should be raising a number of concerns. They own 2,083 acres in the Royston area by the Trent River and the Inland Highway. From page 5 of their proposal: “Sage Hills is planned to open with 700 full time jobs.” On their website is mention of “3500 housing units.” These figures suggest a student population of 5,000-10,000. This suggests a community maybe more than twice the size of Cumberland or approaching the size of Comox or approaching half the size of Courtenay.

The development is planned for land that is currently undeveloped. There is no infrastructure in place. Imagine starting from scratch to build a city a little smaller than the size of Comox out of the ‘Sage Hills desert.’ On the subject of water, from their proposal: “Sage Hills takes the view that connections to existing systems and/or support for new, proposed systems is preferable.” However, just obtaining a permit to tie into the Cumberland water system has become a rare occurrence recently. Also, try to image where all the sewage and garbage will go in such a highly concentrated population.

There are 14 provincial goals for RGS including: “Avoiding urban sprawl and ensuring that development takes place where adequate facilities exist or can be provided in a timely, economic and efficient manner.” Currently there are other large projects that will be competing for currently scarce infrastructure resources: Trilogy, Kensington, the possibility of one at Longlands, each of which individually may build out 1,500 to 2,000 housing units (so times three) let alone other ongoing housing that will normally be built. Recently the number of housing units being built in the entire Comox Valley has been averaging about 500 per year. Now imagine what this will do with the already poorly designed traffic flows we now have--too much traffic funnels over the two bridges in Courtenay.

As an economic model Sage Hills doesn’t make a lot of sense either. >From their website: “Sage Hills is proposing the world’s only community destination integrating education and sports with a healthy balanced approach to living.” Becoming the only one-of-a-kind in the world suggests that it is unproven. Dr. David Strong, a former President of University of Victoria, founded Canada West University in Victoria as the first private, for-profit university in British Columbia. He is on the Development Team for Sage Hills. After a few years, in 2009, the Vancouver Sun reported that University Canada West had been losing $300,000 per month and was sold by David Strong to Eminata Group, who owns small colleges in Vancouver.

Also, the amount of money to be raised to build the housing, the facilities and infrastructure will be enormous. Just to build 3500 housing units, at, say, $ 125,000 each, would require $ 437 million-- and the available labour force, service and trades contractors will be very limited given all the other plans for proposed projects.

From the point of view of sustainability Sage Hills is a poor candidate. It is the “white elephant in the room.” There is no room for Sage Hills in the sustainability room. From an economic point of view it does not seem viable. How will the Comox Valley look both physically and politically, should a project of this size begin and not get finished?

Read the Follow-Up Editorial: What is Sage Hills Really Up To?

**image from http://www.imgacademies.com/all-about-us/around-the-world/vancouver-island/

**published in the Comox Valley Record on September 16, 2010 http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_north/comoxvalleyrecord/opinion/letters/103103584.html