Tour Showcases Beach Club, Future Yacht Center
In this view of Cape Charles Town Harbor, the new Yacht Center will utilize the rectangular cutout at middle back of photo.
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
September 21, 2013
New Northampton County development was showcased to County and town officials yesterday in an all-day tour that began at the new Bay Creek Beach Club.
Although there is not yet a great deal to see, the tour also took local officials to the site of the Cape Charles Yacht Center next to the Coast Guard Station.
The tour was organized by Eyre Baldwin, a partner in ESLAND (Eastern Shore Land Company), as well as being chief developer of the yacht center.
According to an ESLAND press release, the yacht center will be a mega-yacht destination along the East Coast. It will be accessed via the Town Harbor, which features an 18-foot deep channel for easy access. The full-service shipyard will be able to accommodate boats of “all sizes,” including mega-yachts.
Baldwin said the Yacht Center will attract visitors to the Town and will help to continue the revitalization of the area’s economy. “This development will bring new business opportunities such as restaurants, hotels and marine industries,” he said.
Officials visited the Beach Club and Fitness Center at Bay Creek, opening later this year as a members-only facility. The 19,000-square-foot complex includes a fitness center, a 2,800-square-foot members’ lounge with fireplace and large-screen TV, and two outdoor pools with a splash zone and aquatic play area for kids.
The members-only Bay Creek Beach Club and Fitness Center is planned to open in December.
COMMENTARY: Support PSA for a Cleaner Eastern Shore
By WAYNE CREED
September 21, 2013
Assistant Town Manager Bob Panek received a universally chilly reception September 16 at the Cheriton Fire Hall when he explained plans to use the Town’s wastewater plant as the southern node of a semi-regional wastewater system. But when so many people around here agree with each other, it should raise a giant red flag that something is wrong.
I agree that at the current time, Cape Charles should not engage with the Public Service Authority to run pipe out to the newly created Economic Tax Zone along Route 13 — but for different reasons than have been voiced by others.
A major red herring is that supplying wastewater treatment to Route 13 and Cheriton would somehow cause economic stress to Cape Charles businesses. There is a notion that a Rite-Aid or CVS may open to compete with Rayfield’s, yet in this economic climate, chain stores tend to stick to locations that minimize risk. Even with peak summer traffic, there doesn’t appear that there are the demographics to support a chain like that, and companies like CVS only survive if they can subsume and assimilate. That is, it would only be viable if they could assume Rayfield’s base — a difficult task that may seem too risky after a thorough cost-benefit analysis. [Read more…]
