Developers get creative with curated mix of food, beverage and retail in new communities

Britannia Beach was at one time one of British Columbia’s most contaminated regions. And now, after a couple of decades of clean up and new development, the village is attracting interest as a food and beverage destination for residents of West Vancouver and the Squamish region.

Developer Rob Macdonald played a role in its remediation. There was some wrangling. First, he bought a heavily discounted mortgage off a China-based mortgage-holder, and then he foreclosed on the owners of the Britannia Beach acreage. Britannia Beach is about a half-hour drive from West Vancouver, and a 10-minute drive to Squamish. It is dramatically scenic, sandwiched between the ocean and the mountains. The government cleaned up the site and built a contaminated water treatment plant. In return, Mr. Macdonald donated 9,500 acres to the province, keeping 500 acres.