Arbutus Ridge, Cowichan Valley
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name = Arbutus Ridge, Cowichan Valley
|other_name =
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|settlement_type = Designated place
|motto = "Canada's Most Livable and Vibrant Adult Community"
|image_skyline = CherryPointView.jpg
|imagesize =250px
|image_caption = View of Arbutus Ridge from Cherry Point Beach Park
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|pushpin_map = Canada British Columbia
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|pushpin_map_caption = Location of Arbutus Ridge in British Columbia
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|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = {{CAN}}
|subdivision_type1 = Province
|subdivision_name1 = {{BC}}
|subdivision_type2 = Regional District
|subdivision_name2 = Cowichan Valley
|subdivision_type3 =
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|government_footnotes =
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|leader_title = Governing body
|leader_name = Arbutus Ridge Strata Corporation Council
|leader_title1 = President
|leader_name1 =
|leader_title2 =MP (Cowichan-Malahat-Langford)
|leader_name2 =Alistair MacGregor
|leader_title3 =MLA (Juan de Fuca-Malahat)
|leader_name3 =Dana Lajeunesse
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|established_title =
|established_date =
|established_title2 = Incorporated
|established_date2 = 1987
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|area_total_km2 = 0.60
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|population_as_of = 2021
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|population_total = 1085
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|timezone = PST
|utc_offset = −8
|timezone_DST = PDT
|utc_offset_DST = −7
|coordinates = {{coord|48|41|35|N|123|32|24|W|region:CA-BC|display=inline}}
|elevation_footnotes =
|elevation_m = 100
|elevation_ft =
|postal_code_type = Postal code span
|postal_code = V8H 0K8
|blank_name = Highways
|blank_info = British Columbia Highway 1 ie Trans-Canada Highway
|blank1_name = Waterways
|blank1_info = Strait of Georgia
|website = [http://www.ArbutusRidge.Ca Arbutus Ridge Seaside Community for Active Adults]
|footnotes =
}}
Arbutus Ridge Seaside Community for Active Adults is an age-qualified, gated community located on the southeastern coast of Vancouver Island in the Cobble Hill Electoral Area[http://www.cvrd.bc.ca/index.aspx?NID=287 CVRD web page on Electoral Area C] of British Columbia's Cowichan Valley Regional District.[http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/Files/f915c8c4-e4a1-4002-ba50-7ded299a4c1e/Map-RegionalDistricts2011-19CowichanValley.pdf BCStats Location Map] "Arbutus Ridge was the first comprehensive retirement community built in Canada and it subsequently became the template and proving ground for what has become recognized as an accepted and commonplace age-specific form of housing."[Communication from the environmental professional who headed up CVRD's municipal planning function at the time of the Arbutus Ridge rezoning review. Even though the community was incorporated in 1987, it was not until 2018 that the Province of British Columbia approved the adoption of the name "Arbutus Ridge" as the official name for the community.
Location
The community is constructed on a {{convert|60|ha|adj=on}} site on a ridge, rising {{convert|100|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}+ above sea level, overlooking Satellite Channel of the Strait of Georgia in the Salish Sea. The bordering seawater is part of Parks Canada's proposed Southern Strait of Georgia National Marine Conservation Area announced in 2011[https://archive.today/20120716013647/http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?nid=628479 Canada News Centre release on proposed Marine Conservation Area, October 13, 2011.] to ensure ecological sustainability of the marine environment.
The community is {{convert|50|km|abbr=in}} north of Victoria and {{convert|70|km|abbr=in}} south of Nanaimo. A BC Forests Ministry scientific brochure compares the climate in this area to other locations in Canada: "This small corner of the province enjoys perhaps the finest climate in Canada. Sheltered by the rain shadow of the Vancouver Island and Olympic Mountains, and warmed by the air from the Pacific, the area basks in a Mediterranean-like environment of warm, sunny summers and mild wet winters. Unlike more exposed coastal areas, this zone experiences long, dry summers, a major factor in its ecology.".[http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/bro/bro30.pdf BC Government Brochure on Coastal Douglas-fir Zone Ecology] Month-by-month historical averages are reported in the "Climate" section below.
Scope
The Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia had been examining the development of retirement communities over two decades and in 2009 they commissioned a survey of patterns and trends to better prepare municipal governments for integration with such communities. Their survey of coastal retirement communities in the province categorized Arbutus Ridge as a "master planned lifestyle gated community". Their report compared relevant attributes of Arbutus Ridge and eight more established retirement communities on Vancouver Island.[http://www.refbc.com/userfiles/Matrix.pdf BC Real Estate Foundation “Comparative Land Use Typologies” survey report]
In a June 2000 article[Down, Susan, "Retiring Style", Victoria Times-Colonist, June 3, 2000] on Arbutus Ridge, the Victoria Times-Colonist reported: "Twelve years after the project's inception, a new generation is buying into the landscape of Vancouver Island's only gated adult community." "By the time the last phase is complete, there will be 646 homes creating a community of about 1,200 people." "The strata bylaws state that only two people can live in a home and one partner in a couple must be over 50 years old." In 2023 the BC Government, in an effort to make housing more accessible for households with children, banned Strata Corporations from imposing minimum age requirements. In order to preserve the culture of their community, the residents of Arbutus Ridge subsequently passed a resolution to amend a Bylaw thereby increasing the minimum age requirement for Arbutus Ridge from 50 to 55 (for one partner in a couple). This is permissible under provincial legislation.
Image:Arbutusmenziesii2012.jpg, the Community Namesake]]
"Both demands and house sizes have increased since the development was first created in 1988. The first houses built in the community were 1,000-1,400 square foot ({{convert|1,000|-|1,400|sqft|m2|disp=output only}}), one-level designs that were either semi-detached patio homes or ranchers without basements. By 1992, the developer was following the lead of major US retirement builders...a second level with a walk-out basement and sizes ranging 1,800 to 2,100 square feet ({{convert|1,800|-|2,100|sqft|m2|disp=output only}}). In the final phase, 80% of the homes were 2,400-2,800 square feet ({{convert|2,400|-|2,800|sqft|m2|disp=output only}})."
"For common property and services, residents contribute...a fee...monthly to the strata corporation to manage everything from road maintenance and sewage treatment to garbage collection and security." In spite of the proximity of the golf course, "...Arbutus Ridge is not a one-dimensional community."
Statistics Canada's 2021 Census classified Arbutus Ridge as "a designated unincorporated place in the Cowichan Valley" and reported a population of 1085.{{Cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=DPL&Code1=590064&Geo2=PR&Code2=59&Data=Count&SearchText=Arbutus%20Ridge&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=590064&TABID=2|title=Census Profile, 2016 Census - Arbutus Ridge, Unincorporated place [Designated place], British Columbia and British Columbia [Province]|last=Canada|first=Government of Canada, Statistics|website=www12.statcan.gc.ca|language=en|access-date=2017-11-11}} The reported age range distribution of the population was: 50 and under, 1%; 51–70, 34%; 71–80, 41% and over 80, 24%.
As previously reported by the BC Real Estate Foundation survey, the community comprises "646 individual residential units" and includes "lifestyle amenities golf, health, business centre, with an activity coordinator". The residential neighbourhoods intertwine with the 18-hole Arbutus Ridge Golf Course.http://www.golfbc.com/courses/arbutus_ridge. Arbutus Ridge Golf Course web site.]
The community is fully developed and the number of houses and the number of residents will not increase significantly in future. Residents voted in June 2009 to ask the Cowichan Valley Regional District to assume operational responsibility for the water, sanitary sewer and drainage systems.{{Cite web |url=http://www.cvrd.bc.ca/1146/Arbutus-Ridge |title=Cowichan Valley Citizen Coverage of CVRD taking over Arbutus Ridge water and sewer system operation, July 3, 2009. |access-date=2016-09-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923034558/http://www.cvrd.bc.ca/1146/Arbutus-Ridge |archive-date=2016-09-23 |url-status=dead }} In reporting on this transfer from the developer to the municipality after 20 years, the Cowichan Valley Citizen newspaper described Arbutus Ridge as "a large luxury subdivision, almost a village".
Climate
{{Weather box
|location = Arbutus Ridge
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 15
|Feb record high C = 19
|Mar record high C = 21
|Apr record high C = 26
|May record high C = 34
|Jun record high C = 36
|Jul record high C = 38
|Aug record high C = 38
|Sep record high C = 35
|Oct record high C = 28
|Nov record high C = 19
|Dec record high C = 17
|Jan high C = 6
|Feb high C = 8
|Mar high C = 11
|Apr high C = 14
|May high C = 17
|Jun high C = 20
|Jul high C = 23
|Aug high C = 24
|Sep high C = 20
|Oct high C = 15
|Nov high C = 9
|Dec high C = 6
|year high C = 14.5
|Jan low C = -1
|Feb low C = 0
|Mar low C = 1
|Apr low C = 3
|May low C = 6
|Jun low C = 9
|Jul low C = 11
|Aug low C = 11
|Sep low C = 7
|Oct low C = 4
|Nov low C = 1
|Dec low C = -1
|year low C = 4.3
|Jan record low C = -21
|Feb record low C = -16
|Mar record low C = -12
|Apr record low C = -4
|May record low C = -2
|Jun record low C = 2
|Jul record low C = 3
|Aug record low C = 2
|Sep record low C = -3
|Oct record low C = -7
|Nov record low C = -17
|Dec record low C = -22
|precipitation colour = green
|rain colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 145
|Feb precipitation mm = 130
|Mar precipitation mm = 102
|Apr precipitation mm = 54
|May precipitation mm = 44
|Jun precipitation mm = 37
|Jul precipitation mm = 20
|Aug precipitation mm = 25
|Sep precipitation mm = 47
|Oct precipitation mm = 80
|Nov precipitation mm = 169
|Dec precipitation mm = 185
|year precipitation mm = 1038
|Jan rain mm = 130
|Feb rain mm = 122
|Mar rain mm = 100
|Apr rain mm = 54
|May rain mm = 44
|Jun rain mm = 37
|Jul rain mm = 20
|Aug rain mm = 25
|Sep rain mm = 47
|Oct rain mm = 80
|Nov rain mm = 164
|Dec rain mm = 171
|year rain mm = 994
|Jan snow cm = 16
|Feb snow cm = 8
|Mar snow cm = 2
|Apr snow cm = 0
|May snow cm = 0
|Jun snow cm = 0
|Jul snow cm = 0
|Aug snow cm = 0
|Sep snow cm = 0
|Oct snow cm = 0
|Nov snow cm = 5
|Dec snow cm = 14
|year snow cm = 45
|source 1 = Environment CanadaEnvironment Canada—[http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?Province=ALL&StationName=Duncan&SearchType=BeginsWith&LocateBy=Province&Proximity=25&ProximityFrom=City&StationNumber=&IDType=MSC&CityName=&ParkName=&LatitudeDegrees=&LatitudeMinutes=&LongitudeDegrees=&LongitudeMinutes=&NormalsClass=A&SelNormals=&StnId=45& Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000], accessed 10 July 2009
|date=August 2010
}}
History and evolution of the community
=CRC Canadian Retirement Corporation and Burrard International Holdings Inc.=
In 1983 James Patrick, the founder of Arbutus Ridge, started researching the need for retirement communities in Canada, considering the pattern established in the US Sun Belt with particular reference to the Sun City retirement community in Arizona. CRC Canadian Retirement Corporation ("CRC") was incorporated[BC Registry Services, Corporate Registry, information records for CRC Canadian Retirement Corporation, company identification BC0306659] under the provincial Business Corporations Act on March 25, 1986, to design and build the community of Arbutus Ridge. Cowichan Valley Regional District issued the Development Permit on April 9, 1987.[CVRD Development Permit #1-C-870P to Crown Street Investments Ltd., April 9, 1987] The CRC development team consisted of Jim Patrick President, Len Reith Vice President and Sales Manager, Bill LeClair Vice President of Finance and Derek Squirell, Vice President Land Development and Golf Course construction. The CRC team was supported primarily by Aplin and Martin Consultants and Davidson Yuen Architects.
Arbutus Ridge was incorporated as a bare-land strata, defined in detail in Strata Plan 1601, under what was then called the Condominium Act, (now the Strata Property Act). Registration of the Plan was completed at the BC Land Title Office in Victoria on November 13, 1987.[The Land Title Office Victoria Land Title District, Strata Plan 1601.] The "bare land strata" term means that ownership of the land is divided among property owners but each individual house is individually owned and central service buildings are collectively owned. Tidman Construction Ltd.[http://www.silverbarrel.com/portfolio-websites/tidmangroup/completed-projects.php Tidman Construction Ltd., section on Arbutus Ridge projects] built all the central buildings and houses. Originally, a nine-hole golf course was included: holes 12–16, 2 and 9–11, identified by current number but listed in original sequence of play.
In a framed certificate still on display in the Activity Centre, the developer acknowledged the "pioneers", naming the first 60 property owners as of May 14, 1988. 113 more lots were opened in 1988 and another 119 lots in 1989. In 1989, with the community about half constructed, the project won the Urban Development Institute Pacific Region's "Award of Excellence" for having "achieved the highest standard of excellence and…demonstrated innovations in design, community consultation and customer satisfaction.".[Confirming letter from UDI, Pacific Region, dated February 01, 2012, from Maureen B. Enser, Executive Director]
To continue to advance with the second half of the development, an initial public offering of the "Arbutus Ridge Development Limited Partnership" was made on September 1, 1989. The original IPO prospectus from RBC Dominion Securities Inc. provided background information on the community: financing detail, demographics and appraisal on the basis of amenities, security and relative value of investment.[RBC Dominion Securities Inc., Initial Public Offering, "Arbutus Ridge Development Limited Partnership", September 1, 1989.]
The second half of the development was launched in 1990–92 with 49, 94 and 31 lots opened respectively in those three years, as the residential section advanced to the south down the steeper slopes and west across Ratcliffe Road. This permitted construction of the last nine holes, 1, 3–8, 17 and 18 of the golf course and new clubhouse facility and the covered tennis courts. During the wind-down of the construction of the second half of development, CRC brought in Burrard International Holdings Inc.[https://archive.today/20130118145751/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=22299242 Bloomberg Business Week web page on Burrard International Holdings Inc.] as a 50% equity partner.
The final 174 lots were opened in six more phases between 1993 and 2010.
=Strata Plan 1601 and the self-management era=
Self-management of the community began in 1988 with the formation of a transitional Advisory Council, which held its last meeting November 30, 1988, setting the stage for the next phase of governance. Owners, at an Annual General Meeting on January 18, 1989, elected a Strata Council that held its first meeting on January 25. Now that Arbutus Ridge is completely developed, CRC Developments Ltd. no longer has any involvement in the community.
A 7-member volunteer Strata Council, elected annually at the community's AGM, is responsible for the control, management and administration of the common property, common facilities and the assets of the Strata Corporation as outlined in Part 4 of the Strata Property Act: "Strata Corporation Governance". The Strata Corporation administers the functioning of the community through a number of Strata Committees: Personnel, Communications, Finance, Civil Works, Community Planning, Grounds, Buildings & Facilities, Security and Promotions, each reporting through an elected Councilor.
The Strata Council represents the owners internally, and in all matters regulated by the Act. Administration is carried out in accordance with the Act, and governed by the corporation's registered bylaws and rules. Strata Corporation staff is responsible for the overall operation and fiscal management. Occasionally, outside strata management companies are engaged to help with some of the administrative and operational duties.
Additionally, the Arbutus Ridge Ratepayers Association (ARRA) was incorporated[Ministry of Finance, BC Registry Services certificate of incorporation for Arbutus Ridge Ratepayers' Association, society S-0026437] on July 19, 1990, under the BC Society Act to represent homeowners in external matters such as health, transportation, public utilities, community growth and development, environmental protection and social amenities, all of which fall outside the scope of the Strata Property Act.
Arbutus Ridge Emergency Preparedness, the community's volunteer organization integrates its efforts with those of the municipal CVRD Public Safety Department.[https://www.cvrd.bc.ca/86/Emergency-Management CVRD Emergency Management]
On a monthly basis, the community publishes its own newsletter, "Ridge Talk", which is circulated free to all residents. In this newsletter readers will find a calendar of upcoming events, articles on newsworthy topics and a variety of contributions from residents.
The Arbutus Ridge website, www.arbutusridge.ca provides a broad array of current information. The public portion is of broader interest and is open to anyone going to this URL. The resident's website contains further information of specific interest to residents and is accessible only by using an Administration-issued username and password.