Work is expected to resume immediately on the 16 partially completed townhomes at Taluswood, following completion of a joint venture agreement between Intrawest and Whistler Mountain Ski Corp. "We are very pleased that the agreements are now complete and that we are able to proceed with finishing this project," Gary Raymond, president of Intrawest’s Resort Development Group, said in a release. "This is a very important project for not only Whistler Mountain and Intrawest, but for the community as a whole, given its unfortunate history. Wherever possible, we look forward to working with the local trades who have previously committed their resources to Taluswood." Intrawest, which owns Blackcomb, and Whistler Mountain entered into an agreement in July that would see Intrawest complete the upscale townhouse project. Whistler Mountain took possession of Taluswood in May, paying $14 million for the entire project following foreclosure action by the Bank of Montreal. The assessed value of the development was $17.87 million, although more than $30 million is owed to creditors, including nearly $4 million to local contractors. Jim Charters, spokesman for the contractors, said they have been talking with Intrawest and are "optimistic that we’ll come to a mutually beneficial resolve." A meeting of the lien holders company will be held at the Whistler Conference Centre Monday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. The buildout of Taluswood will initially be handled by Amako Construction, which has not previously been involved in the Taluswood project. While Intrawest intends to complete the 16 partially constructed townhomes in phase 1B of Taluswood, the townhomes to be built on the existing foundations will be redesigned. Consultants are being retained for the review and replanning of the balance of the project.
