After decades of delays, developer says Summerside resort on track for 2027 opening

The owner of a much-delayed resort project in western P.E.I. has big plans for the property, and says it will finally be ready to open in two years' time. 

Ocean View Resort has sat unopened in Summerside's west end since Sean Liu purchased the property, located on around 50 acres off MacKenzie Drive, about two decades ago. 

The developer has now applied to city council to spend an additional $80 million to finish work on the 96-room resort building and accompanying 27-hole golf course, and to build a 53-unit condo building at the site. 

Nicolle Morrison, a Century 21 real estate agent who represents Liu, said the development will be a "game-changer" for Summerside once it's finished. She said residents are excited, but also acknowledged they're skeptical. 

"They're looking forward to it. They don't believe it, but they should start to believe because it's happening," Morrison said. 

"Now that we're started, we're not stopping as long as we get permits and approvals." 

Luxury spa never opened

The opening of the property has actually been stalled since the beginning — way back in 1991, when work began on what was then known as the Dynasty Spa project. 

Construction stopped in 1992, a few months short of the previously announced June opening date, and never resumed. 

Two years later, the Supreme Court of P.E.I. ordered that the resort be auctioned off in order to pay creditors of its original owner.

A group of investors put $4.5 million into the project at that point. They defaulted on the mortgage, and the property was due to be auctioned off again.

In 1996, New York developer George Diercks stepped in and bought the property. He built a piece onto the original building, but never finished the resort.

Liu bought the land in 2005 with plans to open a hotel, but that hasn't happened yet either. 

Now, Morrison said that if Summerside approves the building plans, Ocean View Resort and its golf course will be ready to open by the spring of 2027. 

That news has Summerside Coun. Bruce MacDougall cautiously optimistic. 

"I'd love to see it open. I've been waiting for the grand opening now for 25 years," said MacDougall, who has represented the area where the property is located for decades. 

"It's a wait-and-see game, but I'm hoping that this time… we'll have a new golf course here sometime soon."

Summerside council held a special meeting last week to review the application, which involves splitting the development into two separate applications — one for the resort and golf course, and another that will allow the condos to be built. 

The application has now gone to the city's planning board, with a final decision expected in June. 

Splitting focus? 

But some locals, like Cindy Cameron, fear the additions to the project will create more delays.

Cameron, who lives on nearby Putters Street, also said the condo development will add to local traffic, making it less safe for pedestrians in the popular walking area. 

"It's a little concerning that now the developer wants to start a new phase of construction without finishing the other projects," she said. 

"I think the community would like to see the resort and golf course finished…. We just have concerns, I think, that the developer might be splitting his focus if he starts building housing before the rest is done."

Morrison said work at the site will include adding a driving range and club house and finishing the resort building, which she said just needs flooring, light fixtures and a coat of paint.

Some work has started on the course, which Morrison said is being designed by Graham Cooke. His company has built numerous courses internationally and in Canada, including P.E.I.'s Andersons Creek in Stanley Bridge and Eagles Glenn in Cavendish. 

Morrison said the resort and course will be open and accessible to locals and tourists alike. 

"[Liu] wants to give back to the community, and that's what he's doing with this whole project."