The land designated for the Kutenai Landing development on Nelson's waterfront lays undisturbed while the developer deals with financing problems in Kamloops. Photo by Rik Logtenberg.

New Future Building Group, the developer behind Kutenai Landing, is facing a host of legal challenges over a similar project in Kamloops.

The developers haven’t broken ground on the controversial development, which opened for sales in October 2009. According to news reports in June 2010, the developers had sold 20 of the minimum 32 units needed to start construction.

In March of this year, contractors and suppliers on the project began registering liens on the property and file lawsuits seeking payment for outstanding debt. There are currently 19 liens on the property.

The list of lawsuits is headed by an action from plumbing supplier Wolseley Canada. The company is seeking $114,000 for non-payment of debts on the project.

The registered owner of the property is Mission Hill Enterprises Ltd. Marnie McEachern, Rink’s wife, is the sole director of that company as well as a number of related firms, according to court documents.

There are also eight actions in small claims court against a numbered company controlled by McEachern.

Source: Kamloops News.

Rink acknowledges funding shortfalls but says he is restructuring the company’s funding and expects work to begin within several weeks.

The Kamloops project, called Mission Hill, is owned by Mission Hill Enterprises, and with 220 units is the largest project in Kamloops. Nelson’s Kutenai Landing is owned by Waterfront Enterprises Inc. The majority of presold units were sold prior to the collapse of the housing boom last year.