LIBERIA, Guanacaste – One business on the brink of large financial
investment in the northwestern province of Guanacaste strives to be
part of the community as well as provide luxury living in a country
club atmosphere.
For years, developers have studied Guanacaste as a potential location
for an indulgent living center and athletic academy. That type of
establishment is nearing to reality, according to Frank Biden, co-
developer of the Guanacaste Country Club and brother of Joe Biden,
vice president of the United States.
"This is the penultimate moment," Biden said. "All the ducks are lined
up and we just need to get them to quack at the same time."
Biden and Westley Stumbo, from Bluegrass Equity, a U.S. company that
raises funds for high-brand residential development, said they are
interviewing front-end financing partners, and they have an interested
company for their project, which is located eight minutes from the
Daniel Oduber International Airport and 10 minutes from the provincial
capital of Liberia. The paperwork is not yet signed, so they would not
release the name of the organization, but they hope to begin
construction in the next two to three months.
"Guanacaste is the most attractive region in the country in my
opinion," Stumbo said. "After the global stagnant period, things are
now lining up to support this project, and it's only going to get
better."
The country club would include 1,300 homes in a gated community, with
a Jack Nicklaus golf course and academy, swimming and tennis
facilities, a school, an anti-aging clinic and a medical center. The
facility's motto is "luxury with a logical cost."
Home prices range from $225,000 for a two-bedroom unit to $445,000 for
a five-bedroom house.
The price tag on the Guanacaste Country Club is $106 million, and $4.9
million has already been put into the project.
Craig Williamson lives in Liberia and is Biden's partner in developing
the country club. He said the group has received 62,000 inquiries in
the four years that he has been developing an online brand.
"We had to weather the economic storm, but I'm almost happy we did,"
Williamson said. "That kept the focus on improving the sustainability
technology of the facility as well as developing ourselves online. Now
the market is positioning itself really well."
The country club is LEED certified, and is being built on once-
forested land that was converted to sugarcane fields.
Williamson said it was Biden who made the commitment to staffing the
center with 95 percent employees from the Guanacaste region. This is
creating a village, Williamson said. He wants employees and their
children to live in the center, attend the school and socialize
together. Specific homes for staff to purchase are to be constructed
as well.
"We absolutely will be a part of the community," Biden said. "Volumes
are spoken by the fact that we do not have a wall built around this
place. Most of the amenities are public and it's the Guanacaste people
who have permitted us to be here."
Biden said that after the upcoming U.S. presidential elections in
November, he will be excited to spend more time in Guanacaste.
"This is one of the only places I go where I feel party divisions have
no influence, especially in this electoral season," he said.
Biden will surely feel at home there. He said he went to law school at
Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, and got an excellent
education in surfing. The Guanacaste Country Club is located 20
minutes from the beach and numerous renowned surfing sites.
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