One man’s middle of nowhere is Bruce McDow’s paradise.
It took a visit to Toronto in his teen years to make McDow, a native of New Ross, realize how marketable the quiet life in the country can be.
“It made me appreciate the quality of life we have in rural Nova Scotia,” the 61-year-old developer said during an interview in his Chateau Village home.
McDow, president of Special Places Real Estate Corp., has been developing wooded, lakeside and lakefront properties in rural Nova Scotia for about 40 years.
“I’m a great lover of the rural way of life,” said McDow, who started taking on development projects at 21.
“I felt it was important to show people living in urban areas the quality of life we have in rural Canada.”
For more than 20 years, McDow has been developing Cottage Country communities in Vaughan, an area of West Hants that is about a 15-kilometre stretch from Ski Martock.
His company’s accomplishments include Chateau Village, Chalet Hamlet, Falls Lake West and the federal government’s Falls Lake Recreation Facility.
These projects, McDow says, have generated millions in revenue by attracting tourists and new residents to the Municipality of West Hants.
“We’ve sold almost 800 properties over the last 23 years and we currently have in the neighbourhood of 500 to 600 full-time, permanent residents that have located here,” he said.
And, he’s not finished yet.
Cottage Country works in progress include the Canyon Point Resort and Falls Lake Resort, two bare-land condominium projects surrounding Falls Lake.
The Canyon Point Resort, a 59-lot community started in 2005, is about 95 per cent sold.
A more ambitious project, the 118-lot Falls Lake Resort that got underway in 2010, is about half spoken for, McDow said.
“This particular location is what our clients are looking for. They’re looking for lakes, they’re looking for privacy, they’re looking for (being) close to amenities, like the Town of Windsor.”
This particular location is what our clients are looking for. They’re looking for lakes, they’re looking for privacy, they’re looking for (being) close to amenities, like the Town of Windsor. - — Bruce McDow
McDow says the average property with lake access at the Canyon Point and Falls Lake resort costs about $200,000 to $250,000 when it is completely finished. He expects the remaining open lots on the Falls Lake Resort to be occupied by custom-built homes by 2013.
“We’ve spent millions of dollars promoting this area across Nova Scotia, Canada and other parts of the world. Even if a lot of those people didn’t come to us to buy, a lot of them came to Windsor to buy or other places in Hants County,” McDow said.
“I personally believe that it is because of a lot of the things that we’ve done in the past 25 years that’s helped this municipality and the Town of Windsor to grow.”
With construction ongoing at the Falls Lake Resort, McDow says the project is providing 125 people with work in Vaughan.
He says there are no new Cottage Country projects in the works for any other areas of Hants County at this time. He received permission from the Municipality of East Hants to start a 400-lot Cottage Country development around Long Lake, but he said plans have changed.
“We’re not sure if that will be proceeding or not at this point.”
Regardless of what development deals he may land in the future, McDow says he’s content with the marks his team has left in Vaughan, and in the lives of the people who claim to have found their dream homes in Cottage Country.
“I believe quality of life in rural Canada is superior to living in an urban setting,” McDow reiterated.
“I wanted to show that to people. That’s just my bit.”
