August 18, 2008

Richmond, BC

Townline Group plans redevelopment of former Fantasy Garden World property

Sam Van Aert

RCD Research Reporter

Earlier this year, the 22-acre Fantasy Garden World property at the corner of No. 5 Road and the Steveston Highway was sold to a local developer, Rick Ilich of the Townline Group Inc.

Ilich plans to redevelop the former garden tourist attraction, which has fallen into disrepair, into a mixed-use multi-family and commercial development.

Fantasy Gardens was the tulip-inspired dream of former British Columbia premier Bill Vander Zalm, who bought the property back in 1984 for $1.7 million and sold it in 1991 for $16 million to Taiwan billionaire Tan Yu’s Asiaworld (Canada) Development Corp.

Ilich has begun the public consultation process and conceptual design stage, but a formal rezoning application is not anticipated until fall 2008. This will be followed by a public hearing into the plan.

An architect has not been officially retained for the multi-million dollar project and there is no construction schedule at this time. A website has been set up to track the development’s progress: www.gatewaytorichmond.ca.

– RCD Digital Media

The information above was current at time of publication. To provide an update on this particular project, please send an email to eteamcanada@reedbusiness.com.

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