Villa Resort will be bigger and will look much different by May
The Cathedral City Sun
The Villa Resort in Cathedral City, which has new owners, is going through extensive renovations and an expansion.
Two Canadians, Bill Bradley and Colin Becker, won the property in an Oct. 2 auction for $4.7 million, according to Braun Co., the agent and listing broker.
The name Villa Resort stays, but those familiar with the compound will find it very different come May. It is expected to reopen for business by then.
In an interview with the Cathedral City Sun, Mark Van Laanen, one of two business partners joining the new owners, revealed new plans for the storied vacation spot at 67670 Carey Road.
The compound - which boasts 45 rooms, two bars, a pool, Jacuzzi, restaurant and lounge, fitness center, fully equipped kitchen, and more - was on the market for nearly a year before its owners put it up for auction.
Van Laanen, a Wisconsin native and restaurateur of 28 years, said two more pools will be added and at least 100 more condominiums as time shares.
QUESTION: What was your motivation for going into business at the Villa Resort?
ANSWER: It was Bill and Colin's idea to do a total remake. It caught my attention and I said, "Let's talk." There's major reconstruction going on at the property, and we're trying to go as green as possible to keep it environmentally friendly.
It's actually a very exciting project and we're going to town on it right now. It's going to be a lot more upscale than what the property was.
What can lodgers expect to see at the property?
It's going to be a clean, well-manicured place. It will be a very high energy place with an eclectic menu. I did European country food and it will have that edge with a California twist.
What are your long-term goals?
To get the whole property developed. Condos, a luxurious upscale spa, poolside dining, cocktails by the pool. Just to watch this whole area be developed and grow.
What is planned for the lots next door that the Villa Resort has acquired?
Fractional condominiums will be built. The hedges behind us will be ripped down and that will open the property up. We will be putting in pools with the condos being built.
For years the resort has been associated with gay tourism. Will it still serve that enclave or target a new demographic?
We're shooting for all demographics, regardless of gay or straight. We don't want it to be exclusively a gay resort. It will be comfortable for everyone to come. We're going to be advertising in all venues.
The compound - which boasts 45 rooms, two bars, a pool, Jacuzzi, restaurant and lounge, fitness center, fully equipped kitchen, and more - was on the market for nearly a year before its owners put it up for auction.
The following article appeared in the Desert Sun-Palm Springs Sept 7, 2009.
Villa Resort owner sees new life for site
The Desert Sun
The owner of the former Villa Resort in Cathedral City says he intends to seek financing next week to expand and transform the site into a luxury hotspot.
Bridgecreek Development owner Bill Bradley of Calgary, Alberta, Canada said the now-dilapidated, two-and-a-half-acre site on a short street behind Target Stores will expand to seven and a half acres after purchasing adjacent land. The resort is to be renamed Resort Blue Palm Springs and would offer 240 luxury units, three pools and spas, two tennis courts and an entertainment venue.
"We now have a plan in place to seek project financing to continue developing the site that will cost more than $30 million," Bradley said.
His plan to continue the development comes despite a long delay in construction.
Bradley purchased the site in a bankruptcy auction in October 2007 with grand plans to transform the property at 67-670 Carey Road.
But he got off to a shaky start by spring 2008, when Cathedral City officials halted work at the site, citing a lack of permits.
"Regarding the contractors, that is really the business of the developer, but we did indeed stop construction and gave them the information on what they needed to do to obtain the appropriate permits," said Cathedral City spokesman Allen Howe.
Howe said an interior demolition permit was taken out in August 2008 but contractors never acted on it.
The economic downturn further delayed the project, Bradley said.
"Here we are sitting on seven and a half acres and the economy isn't good," Bradley said. He said his company committed $10 million of its own money to buy the land and hire contractors. The project's delay was not attributed to a loss of financing, he said.
"The only funding we put in was our own private investment and we have not lost any funding," Bradley said.
Bradley anticipates resuming construction next year, with the resort opening in 2011.
Villa Resort timeline
October 2007: Bridgecreek Development of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, purchased the resort for $4.7 million with plans to expand and rename the site Resort Blue Palm Springs.
October 2003: Bob Grinchuk and Reuel Olin of San Diego purchased the resort for $2 million as an anniversary gift. The couple invested $3.5 million into renovations. The resort was billed as the "finest full-service gay resort in the world."
1951: The Elizabeth Arden Corp. turned the resort into a beauty farm.
Late 1850s: The site was a Butterfield Overland Stagecoach stop
The resort is to be renamed Resort Blue Palm Springs and would offer 240 luxury units, three pools and spas, two tennis courts and an entertainment venue.
This appeared Sept 11-2009 in the same paper
Resort owner to start up construction again
After a long delay the owner of the former Villa Resort in Cathedral City planned to seek financing this week to expand and transform the site into a luxury hotspot.
Bridgecreek Development owner Bill Bradley of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, said the now-dilapidated, two-and-a-half-acre site on a short street behind Target Stores will expand to seven and a half acres after purchasing adjacent land. The resort is to be renamed Resort Blue Palm Springs and would offer 240 luxury units, three pools and spas, two tennis courts and an entertainment venue.
"We now have a plan in place to seek project financing to continue developing the site that will cost more than $30 million," Bradley said.
His plan to continue the development comes despite a long delay in construction.
Bradley purchased the site in a bankruptcy auction in October 2007 with grand plans to transform the property at 67-670 Carey Road.
But he got off to a shaky start by spring 2008, when Cathedral City officials halted work at the site, citing a lack of permits.
"Regarding the contractors, that is really the business of the developer, but we did indeed stop construction and gave them the information on what they needed to do to obtain the appropriate permits," said Cathedral City spokesman Allen Howe.
Howe said an interior demolition permit was taken out in August 2008 but contractors never acted on it.
The economic downturn further delayed the project, Bradley said.
"Here we are sitting on seven and a half acres and the economy isn't good," Bradley said. He said his company committed $10 million of its own money to buy the land and hire contractors. The project's delay was not attributed to a loss of financing, he said.
"The only funding we put in was our own private investment and we have not lost any funding," Bradley said.
Bradley anticipates resuming construction next year, with the resort opening in 2011.
The resort is to be renamed Resort Blue Palm Springs and would offer 240 luxury units, three pools and spas, two tennis courts and an entertainment venue.
6 comments:
"Bradley said his company committed $10 million of its own money to buy the land and hire contractors."
His own money, hey? That seems like a bald-faced lie. I think when the dye is cast we will see that money came from the duped investors of Bridgecreek. If so, then 'off to jail' we go.
I can only wish for that scenario. They've had no money of their own from day one. Megalomaniacs are dangerous in my mind as they know no boundaries to their destructiveness. The emotional carnage they wreak on their victims can be devastating. Ask me how I know ;)For the investors the financial devastation may be the ruin of them. Take care.
so Chloe why would you not warn the fine citizens of the Crowsnest Pass when these developments were getting started.If you had so much background information it could have been usefull in preventing this fiasco.
"Oh what a tangled web we weave when we first practice to decieve" Sir Walter Scotts poem (Marmion)
The problem with deception in this case, was that some people that were there to protect the community worked in tandem with them, if not for them.
The problem is you do not know who to believe in this crazy situation.
I have seen investors who were supposedly ripped off by these guys becoming facebook friends with prior Bridgecreek personel.
I have seen investors and Bradley and Becker with common friends on facebook.
One of the duped investors actually hired an ex bridgecreek employee.
There should be more anger.
The son of the CEO of Olympia trust actually worked at Bridgecreek. Olympia Trust was supposed to look out for the best interests of the investors as they took the cheques acting as the trustee. Instead, Olympia was just a conduit to send the funds from the investors directly into Bridgcreek bank accounts...no questions asked, no progress payments, no installments...just a direct transfer.
Has the ex mayor spoken about Bridgcreek in the last year?..has the previous councilor who worked for them spoken about bridgecreek lately?
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