Real estate sales stable in area
PAUL GALINSKI reporter@prpeak.com
Real estate sales dollar figures were relatively comparable in April 2025 and April 2024, according to the Powell River Sunshine Coast Real Estate Board.
Board president Curtis Yungen said the median price for single-family homes, year-to-date, from January to the end of April, is up 3.21 per cent from last year, at $639,900.
“New listings year-to-date are also up from last year at 189, for an increase of 10.53 per cent,” said Yungen.
“Sales year-to-date are down very slightly compared to last year, by 2.44 per cent, at 80.”
For the month of April, the median price for single-family homes went down slightly compared to March, from $587,000 to $575,000, said Yungen.
While the average price did go down for April 2025 compared to April 2024, the total value of all sales increased by
more than a million dollars this April.
“Number of total sales greatly increased in April from March 2025, from 20 to 40, doubling the amount,” said Yungen.
In the single-family residential cate -
gory, in April 2025, there were 29 units sold, valued at $21,605,600, compared to 28 units sold in April 2024, valued at $20,575,500.
There were five units sold in the mobiles and manufactured homes category in April 2025, valued at $1,218,400, compared to one in April 2024, valued at $405,000.
For condos, duplexes and apartments, there were three units sold in April 2025, valued at $1,482,000, compared to three units sold, valued at $1,282,900, in April 2024. Totals for residential sales indicate 37 units sold in April 2025, valued at $24,306,000, compared to 32 units sold in April 2024, valued at $22,263,400.
In the nonresidential category, there were three parcels of vacant land sold in April 2025, valued at $984,000, compared to seven parcels in April 2024, valued at $1,646,000.
There were no industrial, commercial or institutional sales in April 2025, and one in April 2024, valued at $450,000.
Totals for nonresidential indicated three sales, valued at $984,000 in April 2025, compared to eight sales in April 2024, valued at $2,096,000.
Grand totals for residential and nonresidential sales indicate 40 units sold in April 2025, valued at $25,290,000, compared to 40 units sold in April 2024, valued at $24,359,400.
Average selling price of a single-family residence for April 2025 was $745,021, with an average of 77 days on the market, compared to an average selling price of $734,839 in April 2024 with an average of 66 days on the market. The median selling price in April 2025 was $575,000, compared to $749,000 in April 2024. There were 72 new residential listings and 15 new nonresidential listings, for a total of 87, in April 2025. In terms of active listings, there were 212 residential listings and 95 nonresidential listings at the end of April 2025, for a total of 307.
6900 BURNABY STREET
Plans moving forward for residential development in Powell River
Beach Gardens Resort and Marina is the planned location for 215 housing units
PAUL GALINSKI reporter@prpeak.com
A 215-unit residential development planned for the Beach Gardens Resort and Marina has been on the books for years and is coming closer to reality.
At the City of Powell River Council meeting on April 3, staff members were directed to prepare draft bylaws that would amend the city’s sustainable official community plan and zoning bylaw to facilitate the development.
Jack Barr, chief executive officer of Seaboard Hotels, owner of the Beach Gardens complex, said the plans are for a phased development, with the property being rezoned from RM3 to RM4, which will provide a little more flexibility on how the densification can be laid out.
“I foresee two- and three-storey structures along the highway, apartment-building style and condominium style, and the balance would be a series of four-plexes,” said Barr, in an interview with the Peak. “With the
natural grade of the Beach Gardens going down toward the ocean, decks on buildings will have a sunny ocean view.
It lends itself beautifully to some pretty amazing homes.”
Barr said in terms of the conceptualization of the project, he was rifling through some paperwork and there was an old drawing. Barr said his father, Dick, died in 2007, and he had a density map and plan prior to that.
“It would have been 2002 to 2004, when there was the envisionment of the level of density there, but it has taken a long time; you don’t just go into this willy-nilly,” said Barr. “Real estate development is not for the faint of heart, so you want to make sure the time is right, the market is right, and the plans are right. There’s many moving parts that go into this and it does take time. It’s such a gorgeous site and it would be criminal not to do something and not to utilize this space for more housing that is desperately needed in Powell River.”
The property has not been in use for decades. At one time, a drive-in movie theatre was located on the Beach Gardens lands prior to construction of the resort building. Barr said the property is about 11.5 acres in total and the area to house the multi-unit residential development would be about 6.9 acres.
If the rezoning goes through, the new property line would run almost directly through the existing building where the distillery on the property is right now, he added.
Barr originally started working with the architects for the development just prior to COVID-19. He said he had always looked at areas such as above the Park Royal Shopping Centre in West Vancouver, where residences are terraced on a steep slope.
“That’s always attracted me,” said Barr. “Having something like that was kind of the impetus for this.”
Unlike West Vancouver, however, Barr resisted the development of luxury homes on the Beach Gardens prop -
erty. The original plan was to have residences starting in the $500,000 range, but Barr said he does not believe there are going to be $500,000 units.
“The cost of construction from 2019 to now has more than doubled,” said Barr. “So, unfortunately, I don’t think you’re going to see a $500,000 unit.”
Even so, Barr believes there will be an eager waiting list as soon as development can occur. He said people beyond the qathet region could be interested, where they could own a home, keep their boat at the marina, and have amenities close by.
“You could live here and not really have to leave the property for a week at a time,” said Barr.
He estimated the project is probably three to four months away before the rezoning comes before city council. When that has been done, there is a lot of other work that has to be completed before housing construction occurs, such as putting in roads and servicing the lots.
“We could build four units at a time, and if the market goes down, you stop, or if you get a lineup of people who want to pre-buy, then we can accommodate that,” said Barr. “You really just build it as you go.”
Barr said there are two components to the Beach Gardens property – the residential development and the renewal of the hotel. On the lower property, he’d like to start building new cabins or new rooms within 18 months. He said any work on the residential development is probably two years away.
“It’s down the road for sure, but it’s
an active file,” said Barr.
He believes strongly in the potential of the Sunshine Coast, being on the board and serving as past president of the Sunshine Coast Tourism Association.
“I’ve spent the better part of a decade promoting the upper coast and the lower coast, and Powell River in general,” said Barr. “It would be great to see some industry come back to where the mill site was situated and to create some more jobs. It would also be great to have some new homes to place all those people. The community is alive.”
WATERFRONT
HOMES AT A GLANCE
ADDRESS
