Seabright closing in on final OK

By Meg Olson

The Cottages at Seabright Farm are “80 to 90 percent” of the way to meeting the conditions of their permits and getting final approval of the subdivision, according to developer Wayne Knowles. “We’re probably 30 to 45 days away,” he said.

The project received preliminary plat approval in January 2014 and has seen some delays getting utilities and landscaping in place over a soggy winter.

The hearing examiner included over 100 conditions to be met before he grants final approval and building can begin, including roads and utilities, public trails and habitat protection. “We’ve planted 7,000 native plants along the bluff and in the wetland,” Knowles said.

Knowles said he is especially pleased with a public trail and stairs down to the beach that allow walkers to complete a loop that includes Seabright and neighboring Lily Point Marine Park. “From this fence here to the fence near the bluff, anybody in Point Roberts can enjoy this and the stairs,” he said from the deck of one of two model homes that have been built on the site. “You can walk a full circle.”

The homes are getting a steady stream of interested visitors. “We usually get 12 to 15 groups a day and it’s getting to be more and more,” Knowles said.

The Vista, one of six home designs available to potential buyers, highlights the view of the ocean with a south wall of windows, including a see-through fireplace so the propane fire can be enjoyed from both inside and the deck. The 1,600-square foot home features pine paneling throughout, an open floor plan and a generous peppering of fireplaces. Visitors remarked that while the view is spectacular, the home also feels intimately connected to the surrounding maple trees. “It’s like being in a tree house,” one said.

The second show home is the Lookout, so named because of a lookout platform on the roof that opens up views to the islands. A custom wood counter in the kitchen was made from a slab of a maple tree that came down on the property. “That counter, the driftwood colors, make it really feel like it fits with its environment,” a visitor said.

The home itself is approximately 1,800 square feet but has been combined with two add-on buildings on the 18,000-square-foot lot. The “super Bunkie” is a 480-square-foot guesthouse and the garage/carport has a small studio on the second floor. “People can pick and choose, start with a house and add on,” Knowles said.

Community amenities are an important part of the development and a barn, garden and greenhouse are already built. A swimming pool beside the barn is planned. Knowles said the barn will be used for classes, events or as a place for parents to enjoy a glass of wine on the deck while the kids play in the pool. Two of his five children were each married in the barn last summer, he said.

While they can’t actually sell homes or property until final plat approval, Knowles said 20 percent of the lots are reserved.