A largely anonymous consortium, Black Spot Developments, aims to plunk down the biggest hotel on the West Coast smack in the middle of the Big Beach viewscape. The behemoth will also force the Wild Pacific Trail to detour inland around one of its prime viewpoints.
Black Spot’s bizarre marketing launch, apparently focussed on everywhere in North America except Ucluelet, seems a pretty good indication of what they think of the town and its inhabitants.
Fortunately for Black Spot, they don’t need us for anything. Zoning for the monstrosity is already in place, thanks to some clever work by the original purchaser of the land before the town got savvy to the circus of horrors that is soon to be unleashed upon it.
Local reaction to the announcement has been mixed. Marine Drive resident Zeke Spranghorn was vociferously against any restrictions on the project. “Dang it, we aint’ Cummunists. A man should be able to build whatev’r he dang well wants on his own land.”
His neighbour, longtime local Alph Dranger, retorted, “That’s great, Zeke — I bin thinkin’ ’bout settin’ up a whorehouse, so I’m glad to hear you won’t mind living next door to it.”
“Oh yeah?” replied Zeke. “No greedhead developer’s gonna be raking no easy buck offa my back yard.”
“Why stop now?” Mr. Dranger said. “It’s become a Ukee tradition.”
Police broke up the subsequent discussion and nobody was hurt.
Residents’ concerns range widely from the precedent-setting visual pollution to the unsavory marketing campaign, to the undermining of the village’s proposed $4-million “community conference centre” by the Black Spot conference centre.
Unofficial — some say “truthful” — versions of the developer’s advertisement have appeared around town, as seen below. (Click for printable PDF — 465K).
