🗳️ Which land?
The parcels we're seriously weighing — and your vote on which one we buy.
One vote each; change it anytime. This guides the decision; it doesn't bind it.
DL 1243 Boulder Pit Road
0 votes
- Where
- Salmo, West Kootenays
- Size
- 2,560 ac
- Price
- ~$4.6M (~$1,800/ac)
- Access
- Road — highway + gravel
- ALR
- Entirely OUTSIDE the ALR — homes allowed
- Water
- Creek runs ~4 km through it
Pros
- 2,560 acres — room for the full 500-member vision
- Entirely OUTSIDE the ALR — homes are allowed
- Real water on title: a creek ~4 km through it
- Road access (highway + gravel)
- Merchantable timber remaining; borders Darkwoods conservancy
- Unincorporated — no municipal red tape
Cons
- Priciest at ~$4.6M — needs the full raise / financing structure
- Higher taxes (~$6,661/yr)
The primary. Previously logged, timber remaining. MLS #2479123 (LandQuest — Sam Hodson).
See the listing →
DL 7950 Hwy 31
0 votes
- Where
- Trout Lake, Selkirk Mountains
- Size
- 307 ac
- Price
- $575,000 (~$1,870/ac)
- Access
- Road — Hwy 31 + gravel
- ALR
- MOSTLY in the ALR — only ~40 ac outside
- Water
- Two creeks + ponds
Pros
- Cheapest big parcel ($575k); low taxes (~$1,100/yr)
- Road access (Hwy 31)
- Two creeks + ponds — good water
- Logged with strong natural regeneration
Cons
- ⚠ MOSTLY in the ALR — homes/subdivision heavily restricted (only ~40 ac outside)
- Small — ~25–35 homesteads, not the 500 vision
- Remote (Selkirk Mountains)
Plan B / pilot: dense village on the ~40 non-ALR acres + a working farm/woodlot commons on the ALR. MLS #10391784 (LandQuest — Matt Cameron).
See the listing →
SL 34 3B Highway
0 votes
- Where
- Montrose, Kootenay Boundary
- Size
- 300 ac
- Price
- $599,000 (~$1,995/ac)
- Access
- Paved road + highway
- ALR
- Rural Resource 1 zoning (not ALR) — suite + ag allowed; 50 homes need subdivision approval
- Water
- ⚠ None on title — needs wells / aquifer
Pros
- Best zoning — Rural Resource 1: dwelling + secondary suite, ag, home business (not ALR-locked)
- Best location — 30 min to Trail/Castlegar/Rossland: jobs, schools, hospital, airport
- Paved + highway access; low taxes (~$688/yr)
- River + mountain views
Cons
- ⚠ NO water on title ("Water: None") — the decisive problem for a housing commons
- Sloping — build-site benching costs
- Small (300 ac); RR1 allows a suite, not 50 homes without subdivision approval
- Seller flipping hard: $95k (2019) → $599k now
Ask the agent for well logs / aquifer data before anything. MLS #10391269 (Mountain Town Properties — Moka Webster).
DL 12443 5200 Road
0 votes
- Where
- Nazko, near Quesnel (Cariboo)
- Size
- 317 ac
- Price
- $299,900 (~$944/ac)
- Access
- Forest service road (Nazko Hwy / 5200 Rd) + internal 4x4 road
- ALR
- "No building-permit required" zone — build freely (ALR status unconfirmed — verify)
- Water
- Udy Creek flows throughout (waterfront)
Pros
- CHEAPEST by far — $299,900 (~$944/ac); near-zero taxes (~$35/yr)
- Udy Creek flows throughout — water on title (waterfront)
- "No building permit required" zone — build freely
- 317 ac; road access + internal 4x4 road; open grazed building sites
Cons
- ⚠ Very remote — Nazko/Cariboo, ~1 hr+ to Quesnel (nearest town, jobs, services)
- Forest-service-road access — rough, winter maintenance
- Small (317 ac, pilot scale)
- Colder interior climate; ALR status unconfirmed (grazing land — verify)
Cheapest + has water + buildable — a strong low-cost pilot if the crew can stomach the remoteness. MLS #R3094957 (Royal LePage Aspire — Team Burbs Bowden).
9 Read Island (9 lots)
0 votes
- Where
- Read Island, Discovery Islands
- Size
- 983 ac (9 lots)
- Price
- $2,000,000 (~$2,035/ac)
- Access
- ⚠ Boat / island (public dock at Surge Narrows)
- ALR
- Mostly zoned 'Other'; only Lot 5 is Rural Residential
- Water
- Streams on several lots + oceanfront
Pros
- Huge — 983 ac across 9 lots; seller will split into smaller groups
- Oceanfront + inland mix; streams on several lots; harvestable timber
- Stunning Discovery Islands; internal road network on-island
Cons
- ⚠ ISLAND — boat access only: materials, jobs, school, medical all by water (needs a barge)
- Priciest project ($2M); higher taxes (~$7,047/yr)
- Zoning mostly 'Other' — only 1 of 9 lots is Rural Residential (homes uncertain elsewhere)
- Very remote from towns & jobs
Beautiful but boat-dependent for everything — the community-barge scenario. MLS #1032967 (Royal LePage Advance — Shelley McKay / Aren Knudsen).
00 Seven Mile Dam Road
0 votes
- Where
- Fruitvale, Kootenay Boundary
- Size
- 3,346 ac
- Price
- $5,995,000 (~$1,790/ac)
- Access
- Gated private access across a BC Hydro dam (owners only)
- ALR
- ALR status unconfirmed — verify
- Water
- 13.7 km of Pend d'Oreille River frontage + year-round creeks
Pros
- BIGGER than Salmo — 3,346 ac at the same ~$1,800/ac
- Huge water: 13.7 km along the Pend d'Oreille River + year-round creeks
- ~30,000 m³ timber + 2nd growth — major forestry value
- Gated private dam access — secure, hard for hostile parties to reach (fits the resilience thesis)
- Access to ~12,538 ac of Crown backcountry; near Fruitvale/Trail (jobs, services)
- Same broker as Salmo (Sam Hodson, LandQuest) — existing relationship
Cons
- ⚠ Priciest — ~$6M total (more than Salmo)
- ⚠ Access depends on BC Hydro's dam crossing — a single controlled route (emergency/guest access? what if Hydro restricts it?)
- No developed water/sewer utility — wells + septic needed (but abundant surface water)
- Must pre-qualify (proof of funds) just to view; sat 861 days on market
- ALR status unconfirmed
A Salmo-tier alternative — bigger + more water, but pricier and the dam is the sole access. MLS #2475065 (LandQuest — Sam Hodson).
The parcel map → About the land →
Silvanus