A development out by Shadow Mountain Golf Course is getting an infrastructure upgrade as ground broke on Friday for a new sewer system that will connect with the city of Cranbrook.
River’s Crossing Ltd. which is being connected to the municipal system, will replace an existing system with in the development where sewage is piped to centralized tanks that are regularly emptied by pump trucks.
“It’s very exciting for our team and the city to be taking this step,” said Marty Gunderson, the project manager at River’s Crossing. “It means residents will no longer have to depend on the present pump and haul system.”
Cranbrook Mayor Lee Pratt was pleased to see progress on the River’s Crossing development.
“My fellow council members and I are deeply committed to economic development in the region and this project is a symbol of what can be accomplished when business and government partner together to make things happen,” Pratt said.
The mayor added that the project, which will require approximately four kilometres of pipeline, will utilize local labour and companies.
Over last fall and this spring, River’s Crossing has been completing other infrastructure projects such as roadwork on the west side of the development that carried a roughly $1 million price tag, according to Westpoint Capital CEO Munir Virani.
In addition to the $2.5 million investment into the sewer system, the company plans to further invest $500,000 into marketing and advertising to promote the development.
With the current infrastructure plans in place, Virani envisions the potential for up to 600 homes in the River’s Crossing community, and lots are starting to sell.
Formerly known as Shadow Mountain Golf Ltd, the residential development was sold to Westpoint Capital in January 2014 and rebranded River’s Crossing. The Shadow Mountain golf course itself is separately owned by a group based in Edmonton.
Despite the troubled past of the development, Virani notes that the completion of various infrastructure projects is making the community more attractive to potential home-buyers.
Long-term, he believes the development will be successful because of the location and factors such as the St. Mary’s river, the mountains and the golf course.
“Because of those three fundamentals, River’s Crossing is going to be successful in the long run because it’s a desirable place to live and it’s a desirable place to play,” Virani said. “I have no doubt in my mind that in the long-term, it’s going to be successful, it’s just a matter of time.”
