The owners of an 18-acre property adjacent to the base of Revelstoke Mountain Resort are proposing a destination treehouse-style accommodation for the property.
David Evans and Shelley Sharpe want to build an approximately 25-unit tree-hotel, which features low-impact, eco-accommodations on the treed property. They would be served by a central lodge with a restaurant and other amenities.
In an interview with the Times Review, Evans emphasized they are at very preliminary stages of the proposal, starting with an annexation request that is before Revelstoke City Council at their April 8 meeting.
The property is located in the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District, adjacent to the City of Revelstoke boundary. The landowners will need to be annexed into the city in order to provide necessary service (like water and sewer) and zoning. A City of Revelstoke report recommends proceeding with the annexation request, which is uncharted territory for this council.
Evans notes the property is already intersected by historic ski-out trails from the resort, and envisions a higher-end destination accommodation that travellers would visit Revelstoke to stay at. “By putting up something is eco-friendly and low impact, it enables there to be a signature hotel use on that land,” he said.
In a letter to city council, Evans explained they’re basing their design concept on Treehotel, a similar resort in Sweden. The tree cabins there are actually clamped to trees, and feature ultra-contemporary designs inside and outside. The units are based on several unique concepts.
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PHOTO: Another unit for rent available at the Treehotel resort in Sweden. Treehotel image
Evans feels the benched property is an ideal location for a Revelstoke version.
“The whole idea is to keep it really eco-friendly and provide a stunning boutique hotel concept,” he said. “It’s really combining some really stunning architecture and the beauty [that] is there.”
Evans and Sharpe are based in Whistler, and have business and tourism experience in that resort community. They invested in the property years ago and plan to relocate to Revelstoke permanently this year.
Evans stressed the preliminary nature of the concept, and said issues like building codes and zoning for the outside-the-box development would need to be worked out.
If all goes according to plan, Evans and Sharpe hope to work through the various approvals in the next year or so.
Evans added the development would be lower-impact on the land, allowing for a future, more intensive redevelopment to a larger facility like a hotel in the future.
