Belize Eco Village

Belize Eco Community Value and Vision Proposition

Have you ever dreamed about escaping to a tropical piece of paradise? Have you wanted to put your vacation money into an investment for the future rather than the pockets and profits of AirBnB, cruise ship, hotel, timeshare or Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO) companies? Do you wish you could find an eco conscious community that is refreshing, relaxing, renewable, rental, reasonable, resort, restorative, retirement and retreat to build, invest, live, rent, visit or work while also avoiding the high property, income and school taxes you are currently paying each year. Does a low cost re-balancing, refreshing, regenerating, rejuvenating, relaxing and restoring tropical lifestyle sound better than a hectic lifestyle filled with confusing congested commutes, mowing lawns, raking leaves, shoveling snow, sickening stress, taxing traffic or worsening water worries?

Who has not wondered what it would be like to live and invest overseas in a tropical paradise? A place where you can escape the rat race even if for only a few weeks at at time initially. Having met and talked with many people and travelers there are many people who are dreaming about a better way of living for less yet enjoying it more. Welcome to the world of international living and investing for those with a global mindset of abundance, adventure and awareness.

Having traveled to more than 14 countries looking for the perfect peace of paradise and peaceful place to find an outstanding opportunity and outdoor lifestyle revealed a small country you may or may not be aware of. It offers many advantages and benefits when you want to escape the rat race for a week, month or more. Welcome to the beautiful beaches, better benefits and big bargains of Belize, Central America.

Finding a great eco-conscious master planned community that is high quality, investor friendly, safe and reasonably priced is a challenge. To save you a lot of money and time let me share what many others beside me have discovered just south of the Yucatan peninsula on the western Caribbean. While many countries are hyped and promoted as expat friendly havens the vast majority fail to deliver on many accounts as promised. For many of us it means avoiding the foreign language, foreign law, foreign ripoffs and foreign investor unfriendly countries that we may feel comfortable for visiting on vacation but wisely choose not to invest our hard earned income, life savings or live there. Many people and I have learned the hard way it is important to carefully consider and look for a democratic country that is eco minded, close to the US, strategically located and offers the security of English language and English law as the sensible standards to insure us long term protection, security and stability. Belize is the only foreign country in the Caribbean, Central America and South America that can check all the right boxes for the average person looking for an affordable, comfortable, reasonable and stable tropical paradise investment and lifestyle.

Many ads, brochures and websites promote places that feel enticing, look exciting and sound exhilarating at first but eventually the hype peels off and you learn the investment for a lot, home construction and ongoing costs will be way over your budget and financial resources. Many projects fall victim to the cancer of deceit and terminal illness of greed before they are ever completed as promised or finished at all. Many developers leverage themselves too much and end up as another sad story with too many pearly promises broken and too few productive results. Many eco projects in particular are too remote and removed from basic accessibility, activities and amenities to be a comfortable safe haven and home.

Not to mention that many countries are facing economic downturns, government greed, social unrest, tax burdens, unhealthy demographics and totally unreliable and unsustainable for the future for most of us. If you do not speak the language and look like you totally blend in you like a local you may be a walking target for financial fraud, gringo grabs and rip offs. It provides a lot of comfort to me that Belize is part of the British Commonwealth and that British and US military troops train there with the Belize Defense Force (BDF) to help prevent criminal activity, drug problems and foreign intrusions.

After learning about Belize and visiting there on a due diligence and investment trip in February 2011 I knew this was a country worth closer investigation. After a chill tour and further discovery and due diligence travel driving from Belize City around the country and all the way down south to Punta Gorda we made a small initial investment for a founders lot in the future Mango Springs master planned community. Over time the initial 500 acre project changed, grew and morphed into the 5,800 acres master planned community of Kanantik Belize.

The Kanantik Belize Master Planned Community Project

The Kanantik Belize master planned community project consists of land running from the Caribbean to the foothills of the Maya Mountains. First they purchased the Kanantik Reef and Jungle Resort which included 1000 acres on the Caribbean with a private air field, beach and island. Next they acquired 4,800 acres adjoining land which provided a five ecosystem community for an eco friendly development. Then they decided to create a championship eco golf course. Yes there it seems there is such a thing as an eco golf course! They engaged Casey O Callaghan who has a track record building them.

After developing a big vision master planned community business plan and going through all the steps of filing an Environmental Impact Assessment (which is way more complicated in Belize than most people can imagine), hiring a master land planner and supportive development teams they are now beginning the guidelines, home owners manual, infrastructure, systems and utilities for the initial lots being offered. The project will eventually consist of 2500 lots, community center, gated security entrance, golf course, green belts and spaces, hospitality training and organic garden center, parks and recreation facilities, spa and wellness center and much more.

Belize Eco Village Plans

After meeting many other investors interested in Belize and Kanantik Belize and seeing the full potential of business, eco communities and development in Belize we decided to look for some raw land near Kanantik Belize as an investment with a beautiful center consciously designed education focused green habitat holding eco tours, fitness, health, meditation, nutrition, retreat, wellness and yoga retreats. After 3 years of looking, researching and walking on dozens of properties we found the perfect peace of paradise 149 acres that was affordable, clean, pristine and strategically located on the Southern Highway close to Kanantik Belize where our lots are located. This land had the key factors necessary for creating an affordable, beautiful, clean development and eco friendly green habitat investment just kilometers from Caribbean beaches, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary Jaguar Reserve, Kanantik Belize, Maya Centre Village and Sanctuary Belize 14,000 acre mater planned community/ Sittee River Wildlife Reserve and the Sittee River.

My initial focus was to begin my project by building caretaker houses, guest hostel, dining hall/ kitchen and wellness center on the 149 acres. After significant discussions, feedback and visits the last 2 years many people have convinced me to focus on the eco village plans first. After a variety of visions and visits from a wide range of backgrounds and coaching such as: Belizean citizen, builder, consultants, contractor, developer, Earth Block expert, educators, electrician, excavation experts, government agencies, health professionals, investors, land planner, landscape architect, master plummer, permaculture expert, real estate agent, solar power expert, wellness professional and many others visited or indicated interest in the eco village project it became obvious to shift the focus towards building the eco community first to support the other projects to come later.

That means focusing on an advisory team, budget, builder team, business plan, developer master plan, land plan, Environmental Impact Assessment, infrastructure and investors eager to be a part of this eco conscious community and permaculture project. Already many great references, resources and role models have shared their ideas and support. With resourceful teams in place anything and everything is possible. After looking for more than 9 years the near perfect location has been purchased and is ready for drafting a blueprint and business plan. This project is too big for one person to handle and manage so it is time to send out open invitations to attract other like minded valuable advisers, builders and visionaries.

2015 and 2016 were the years to learn the lay of the fauna, flora and land while also observing the cycles, patterns and seasons. From a record dry and hot season in early 2015 to a record rainy and wet season in October 2015 it has been beneficial to see the extremes of conditions and weather that affect this ecological zone in southern Belize It was also a time to learn some tough life lessons about dumpers, grass fires, illegal loggers and parrot poachers. Also a time to test a variety of flowers, foods, fruits, plants, shrubs and trees to see which ones do well and which ones do not like the combination of lowland Caribbean pine forest area and lowland broad leaf forest along the creeks. After hundreds of hours of labor it is becoming evident which plants do well and which plants wither in this challenging and diverse zone.

Advantages and Benefits to This Paradise Property

2017 will be the year to ramp up for making initial planning and progress with electric lines, landscaping, planting flowers and trees, road upgrades, survey of lots. This will be followed by building some compressed Stabilized Earth Block (CSEB) houses and structures. Some will serve as care taker and staff houses while others will serve as model homes to start the eco village with people ready to move in within the next 2 years.

There are many advantages and benefits regarding this unique paradise property location which includes:

• 149 acres of almost virgin land that has not been contaminated, farmed, polluted or sprayed with chemicals. It was logged many years ago for big Caribbean pine.
• There are many Caribbean pines, craboo, emmory, pole wood, coconut (recently planted) and others.
• It has highway frontage on the Southern Highway which runs from Belize City to Belmopan to Punta Gorda.
• Cabbage Hall road runs from the highway and passes through the property and ends at the top of Cabbage Hall Lookout (5.8 miles) in the Maya Mountains.
• It is about 1.5 miles south of Maya Centre Village with approximately 400 residents.
• It is about 3.5 miles south of the Sittee River Bridge.
• The property is about 4 miles as the crow flies from the Caribbean.
• The property is about a 15 minute drive from Hopkins village beach community which has lodgings, marina, resorts and restaurants.
• The property is about a 35 minute drive from the peninsula where Placencia is located.
• It is located in the Stann Creek District with Big Creek, Dangriga, Harvest Caye, Hopkins, Independence, P lacencia and Santa Cruz villages near by.
• It is 2 miles east of the majestic Maya Mountain range.
• We neighbor to the east of Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Preserve (128,000 acres). 7.8 miles to the visitor center.
• We neighbor to the south of Red Creek Biological Reserve. 454 acres of protect pine forest and and lowland broad leaf jungle along Red Creek.
• We neighbor to the west of The Reserve master planned community of 14,000 acres located off All Pines road.
• We neighbor to the north of Kanantik Belize master planned community of 5, 800 acres.
• It is a bird and wildlife watchers paradise. We will start a “resident and visitor sightings log book” for the animals and birds that we experience.
• There are no crops or farming adjoining our property to cause chemical contamination.
• The water is clean and pure. The Reserve had a well drilled across the Southern Highway and found clean water at 65 feet down with a good gallon per minute flow.
• We have planted about 100 coconuts which should bear coconuts in 4 years. We have also planted cashew, mango, moringa and other trees.
• We are planning to do an acacia tree reforestation project to see how well they grow on the pine ridge soil.

Goals of this Sustainable Project

My passion and plan is to co-create an eco village that will ensure affordable construction, beauty of Belize, healthy houses, low maintenance, organic permaculture, protection from storms, quality homes, security, and sustainability. The eco village will be a master planned eco community and safe haven for like minded people eager to be more community focused, eco conscious, isolated from issues, nature oriented and outdoor enthusiasts. We will attract people from Asia, Central America, European Union, North America, South America and conscious citizens of Belize. This will offer diversity and create a protective inner circle of eco conscious Belizeans eager to help advance important projects along. We will be a mini Belize Del Webb if you are familiar with that master planned community concept in the US. Envision and imagine a paradise project designed specifically with sustainability in mind for:

• Active Adults Adventure
• Animal and Bird Preserve
• Belize Eco Community
• Community Activities, Camaraderie and Support
• Design Habitat – Happy, Harmony, Healthy & Holistic
• Eco Conscious Beliefs & Benefits Design
• Eco Friendly Homes with Quality Construction
• Healthy Focus on Exercise, Lifestyle, Nutrition, and Wellness
• Inspiring Community Design Features
• Nature Preserve and Sanctuary
• Permaculture Principles
• Renewable & Sustainable Energy Plans
• Restore and Retreat for Wellness
• Safe, Secure & Stable Investment
• Small, Stylish & Sustainable Homes
• Walking and Biking Trails
• Water Conservation, Preservation & Protection

We will be accepting applications for our Fans, Followers & Founders Group for early adopters, team members and pre-development lot selection in the future so stay tuned.

More Details About this Exciting Belize Eco Community

Our community will embrace Compressed Stabilized Earth Block (CSEB) /Compressed Earth Block (CEB) homes. Made with local clay (70%) sand (20%) and cement (10%) as the primary form of home construction. They have been found to be the best choice for building homes that are bug proof, fire proof, heat proof, sound proof, storm proof, wind proof and sustainable. They are built to last over 100 years with minimal energy and maintenance costs.

Our eco community does not plan to offer beach front property which is extremely expensive to buy, build, develop and maintain. Beach property is also subject to the whims of Mother Nature unleashing flooding, hurricanes, salt spray, storms or tornadoes. We will have easy access to a private or public beach for convenient access without the high cost or concerns. Technically the first 60 feet of beach from the water line is Queensland/public beach in Belize.

Our eco community does not plan to have a golf course. We will instead have a Frisbee golf course.

Our community does not plan to have jet skis, marina, power boats or sailboats. We will have canoes, kayaks and stand up paddle boards for use at the bays, beaches and rivers.

Our community will embrace solar panels and wind turbines for clean and renewable energy.

Our community will embrace efficient 2 X 3 brick Earth Stoves, Italian style pizza ovens and solar ovens.

We will embrace rain catchment, water retention ponds and water conservation, preservation and protection.

We will embrace aquaponics for raising aquatic plants and tilapia.

We will embrace organic crops, food forests and permaculture.

We will promote renewable and sustainable agroforestry for food, fruits and sustainable forest products like cacao, coffee and timber.

We will offer and promote bicycles and other self propelled transportation.

We will promote electric and rechargeable transportation like bicycles and golf carts.

We will provide local shuttle and taxi service.

We will support the local bus service public transportation which is reliable to the maximum. There are local buses plus the express buses to choose from.

We will promote and support a wide range of eco tourism. We will utilize licensed local tour guides. Tours will include: Biking, bird watching, drumming, hiking, kayaking, Mayan medicine, nature walks, night walks, star gazing, trekking, tubing and much more.

We plan for the property to be a protected biological and ecological preserve and bird and wildlife sanctuary.

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