SUNTOWER in Lumby: What Is Approved, What Is Being Marketed, and What the Public Record Shows

1. The dinner in Richmond

On March 23, 2024, the news site Lahoo published a story about a dinner held three days earlier, on March 20, at a restaurant in Richmond. The article is written in Chinese, so the quotes below are translations. It reads like a paid promotion more than a news story.

• The dinner was hosted by an investment group. Its theme was "Uncut gems, overlooked investments."

• The group's executive director described Lumby as an "uncut gem": remote and not well known, with room to grow.

• The guest list included Mayor Kevin Acton, along with an accounting firm, a law firm, a commercial real estate firm, and others.

• The contact phone number in the article, 778-800-0665, is the same number used on the Suntower Development website.

I checked the council minutes for the meetings after the dinner, on April 2 and April 15, 2024. Neither one mentions it.

Where investors come from is not the issue here. The issue is size, pipes, and who pays.

2. Who is involved

The project goes by a few different names. Here is what BC's public company registry (OrgBook BC) and other public records show. The registry shows when a company was registered and whether it is still active. It does not show who owns or runs it.

None of this is unusual on its own. Developers often use numbered companies for different projects. But it does mean the company that makes a promise today may not be the company around to keep it later. That matters for Lumby, as section 8 explains.

3. What Lumby has actually approved

This is the public record for the land at 2680 Cedar Ridge Street, about 20 acres (8.1 hectares).

The minutes do not say whether the February 2026 investors were the same group, and I am not saying they were. That is one of the things residents should be able to know (see section 9).

4. What is being marketed

The marketing describes something much bigger than what has been approved.

• The group's website describes SUNTOWER Lumby as 200 acres and 1,500 homes in five phases, with an astronomy theme and a "Cherry Blossom Boulevard."

• The approved Cedar Ridge land is about 20 acres. I could not find where the other 180 acres would be. A local realtor involved in marketing the Cedar Ridge lots later stated publicly that SUNTOWER’s proposed later phases would extend behind Cedar Ridge Court and farther up the mountain. However, the public records reviewed for this report do not identify the relevant parcel boundaries, establish a complete 200-acre project area or show Village approval for those later phases.

• Lots have been listed at $293,000, zoned R7, which allows homes up to a fourplex. One listing said "Estimated Completion: September 2025" (listing).

• The whole 20 acres has also been listed for $6,756,000: "We are looking for investors to cooperate with us to purchase the entire project" (listing).

To put 1,500 homes in perspective: at about two people per home, that would mean roughly 3,000 more people. Lumby had 2,063 people in the 2021 census. A project that size would more than double the village.

5. How the group's other projects compare with its website

The same website lists other projects. I checked the Canadian ones against public records. The point is not to make fun of anyone. A sales website is not a plan, and Lumby should judge plans, not brochures.

I could not confirm who owns the Calgary lots or Loon Lake Ranch. Both are simply listed on the group's website and listed for sale.

The Pilot Mountain story has a lesson for Lumby. When neighbours spoke up early, the plan got smaller and the lake got a buffer. Speaking up works, but only if people know early enough.

6. What is fair to keep in mind

• Meeting investors is part of a mayor's job. Council voted in February 2026 to support Kevin's work to attract business. Lumby needs jobs and homes.

• The Cedar Ridge subdivision went through the normal process. Planning staff recommended the road variances. The village engineer called the steeper road "a good compromise" and said it would be plowed first in winter.

• The Bylaw 898 changes applied to the whole village. They came out of a 2024 review meant to make development permits simpler. They were not written for one developer.

• The developer has done real work. Engineering, an environmental report, and listed lots show a real project on the 20 acres. A trail to Copper's Launch could be good for everyone.

7. Public Claims and What Could Be Confirmed

• Some posts online say there are "signed deals" to grow Lumby to 20,000 people, or that 1,500 homes are "already approved." I found no record of either. The only approval is the 31-lot subdivision.

• I could not find where the other 180 acres in the marketing would be. A local realtor involved in marketing the Cedar Ridge lots later stated publicly that SUNTOWER’s proposed later phases would extend behind Cedar Ridge Court and farther up the mountain. However, the public records reviewed for this report do not identify the relevant parcel boundaries, establish a complete 200-acre project area or show Village approval for those later phases.

• I could not find who is behind the numbered companies. Company summaries cost money, and BC's registry does not list directors for free.

• I could not find any public report of the March 2024 dinner or the February 2026 meetings, beyond the one line in the February 2026 minutes.

What a Local Realtor Publicly Stated

After Bradley publicly asked local realtor Hank Prebushewski to explain what he knew about SUNTOWER and the neighbouring Copper Mountain development, Hank responded with information about the proposed phases, road connections, housing types, infrastructure requirements and possible development timelines.

The screenshots below reproduce that public Facebook exchange in Hank’s own words. His comments provide relevant local context, but they are attributed statements, not Village approvals or independently verified project specifications.

View the Original Public Comments

8. What Lumby needs to think about

Lumby decides the size

Our village has planned for 540 new homes over 20 years. A 1,500-home concept is a different town. Growth is good when it fits. The question is who decides how big Lumby gets: our community, or a sales brochure.

The pipes decide the pace

The village's own engineering study, presented on October 20, 2025, found that both of our water reservoirs are already short of what is needed, today. It found 59 places in the water system where there is not enough flow for firefighting. That is about 23% of the system (capacity study presentation).

The village's terms of reference for the hillside plan say: "Most importantly, a location and grant funding should be identified and secured for a future reservoir" (terms of reference).

Kevin said the same thing in 2024:

"In Lumby, in order to keep some of the subdivisions that we have that will be available, there's probably about a $4- or $5-million water reservoir that needs to be built." (Vernon Matters, Oct. 7, 2024)

He is right about that. It means the reservoir comes first, and the homes come after.

Who pays

The capital plan lists about $2.82 million of Cedar Ridge-area work, all marked "potential grants." Council has also put $30,000 of community forest money toward the trail survey and the street extension design. Some of that may be the right call. But residents should know what share the developer pays and what share the public pays. Growth should pay its own way.

Your say comes early now

Under the province's Bill 44, a residential rezoning that fits the Official Community Plan no longer gets a public hearing. And since October 2025, Lumby no longer has a hillside development permit area. That makes the hillside plan the main place where residents get a say. Council approved terms of reference to start a hillside plan. When that plan comes forward, please show up.

Companies change, so put it in writing

One company on the Cedar Ridge drawings has already dissolved. Promises about roads, water, trails, or parks should be in servicing agreements, backed by bonds the village holds, so they still stand if a company changes.

Homes, not investment products

Lots and whole projects are being marketed to investors. That is common. But Lumby needs homes that local families, young people, and seniors can live in. That should be the test for any new project.

9. Records anyone can ask for

Under BC's freedom of information law, anyone can ask the village for records. You don't need a lawyer. A written request to the village office is enough. I am asking for:

• The mayor's expense and travel records for March and April 2024.

• Records of the Vancouver investor meetings reported in February 2026: who attended, who paid, and any follow-up.

• Letters and emails between the village and the Suntower companies, Global Union Investment Group, or the numbered companies, from 2023 to now.

• The Cedar Ridge servicing agreement, the bonds or security held, and any village commitment to build or pay for roads, water, or sewer there.

The village has 30 business days to answer, and can take longer, so answers will likely come after the election. I will post what comes back, whatever it says.

10. What I will do as mayor

• Report every meeting with investors or developers at the next council meeting: who was there, who paid, and what was discussed.

• Make sure growth pays its own way, with developer costs set out in writing and backed by bonds.

• Pipes first. Water storage and fire flow come before new hillside phases are approved.

• Bring the hillside plan to residents early and in plain language, so people have their say before decisions are made.

Sources

Listings change over time. Prices and details are as shown on the listing pages when this report was written.