Union Bay - Residents of the Craigdarroch Subdivision, just south of Spindrift, watched in shock when the the buffer of trees along the old Highway came crashing down on Friday.

Finally exposed were sky-high piles of uprooted fir and big leaf maple trees among a vast wasteland of land where a forest stood just two weeks ago.

Bulldozers had been working for the past two weeks on their assignment to clear the land that will make way for a 241-lot sub-division called the Argyle Road Residential Community. This Community is one of the six site areas of the newly branded Kensington development named "The Union Bay Community".
See http://theunionbaycommunity.com/real-estate/offerings/

"Wow! Half of the city of Courtenay could fit into this area!" remarked one resident.

Along with the 241 homes of "generous lot sizes" there is a yet-to-be-determined area at Argyle Road labeled as "Neighborhood Commercial/Residential" that matches the orange colour code on the Union Bay Community website.

The "Neighborhood Commercial/Residential" is the only community listed on the Union Bay Community website which is yet to be determined. "More information coming soon" is all that is stated on the website.

Could this be a strip-mall area, a trailer park, or will Union Bay finally get its gravel pit after all?

One wonders if the potential investors/buyers in "Neighborhood Commercial/Residential" will be American since the south-of-the border spelling of "Neighborhood" is used.

"Why didn't the developer leave a buffer of trees?" asked another resident.
"No doubt the new buyers of the new Argyle Road Community won't want any trees blocking their ocean view," answered another neighbour walking his dog.

I suppose there will eventually be a few trees to soak up a little CO2 with the "tree-lined boulevard" that is described in the newly named Union Bay Community development. (Just an aside: Is anyone else curious why Kensington has rebranded itself as "The Union Bay Community"? Does that mean that the old Union Bay community will just be swallowed up in time?)

No wonder the old UBID Board was in such a rush to made sure that a UBID Water Agreement with Kensington was signed just 15 days before the new UBID Board was elected! This all important document entitled "Water Infrastructure Agreement" assures KIP water hookups for "...up to 500 new residences within the Lands".
See Water Infrastructure Agreement between 34083 Yukon Inc. (KIP) and UBID dated April 8, 2011 -

http://www.union-bay.ca/pdf/Unsigned%20Water_Infrastructure_Agreement.pdf

I doubt if the future homeowners of "generous lot sizes" will be happy about rationing their water usage. Can anyone imagine the sound of Langley Lake being drained dry with all the water needed for the Argyle Road Community's spacious, green lawns and hot tubs with ocean views? And don't forget that 27-hole golf course!

"Just think of the flooding problems we will be facing without that forest to soak up all the rain we get in the rainy season!" declared a plumber who lives on Kilmarnock. "The ditches are already at capacity in this neighbourhood. It's going to be a catastrophe and nobody will give a hoot about our flooded garages and crawl spaces."

And there is the question of sewer. Is Kensington going to just build its own mini treatment facilities and not live up to its promise of bringing a sewer system to the community?

Other residents are wondering if the new traffic signal at Argyle Road will solve the problems of the increased traffic of another 241 (plus) residents spilling onto the Highway. The thought of more traffic from residents of yet another 3,113 homes, hotels guests and customers at retail establishments is enough to give up one's car and buy an electric bike.

Well, one thing is for certain: that deer crossing sign at Argyle Road will have to go!