The proposed new parkland it isn’t just for visitors, he explains. It’s for islanders, and “provides a stable land use that meshes well with the island’s mandate to create parks and trails.”“If it attracts yahoos who currently go to Cultus or Harrison or Shuswap, where they basically have to have a police detachment at the ready, it will change the complexion of the community.
Developers Don Ho and Edwin Lee came up with a plan to preserve a large part of the coastline as park, but to make the surrender of prime waterfront economically viable, they insisted density had to be increased. Then came reports of locked gates set up to keep out local hikers, demands for cease-work orders on construction of private docks that one resident called a “sheer horror,” and concerns about preserving the delicate ecological balance of the area.A 20-minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay, the island has long been a refuge for artists and musicians like Ulrich, and for commuters who want to raise children outside the city, but still within Metro Vancouver and close enough to commute for work.
The median household income on Bowen is $111,000, 31 per cent higher than the rest of B.C., and 55 per cent of families on Bowen have a household income over $100,000.“The new people want amenities,” said Woodall. “They want doctors and dentists and community centres.”