An estimated $1 billion development located between Bagaces and Liberia in the northern Guanacaste province is underway. The mega project is expected to take 20 years to complete.

The Ponderosa Country Club and Ponderosa City project will include 400 houses, as well as a kindergarten, private school, exercise areas, playgrounds, an equestrian area, and swimming pools, said project developers.

David Patey, a U.S. expatriate in Costa Rica and a Mormon from Utah, is a partner on the project. He and business associates bought Africa Mía recently, and after purchasing an adjacent property, La Ponderosa, on which to expand the safari tour, they renamed it the Ponderosa Adventure Park. The adjacent enormous property sparked ideas for something even bigger.

La Ponderosa has an operating country club on it, and the mega residential and “city” component will be built adjacent to the golf facility, creating an added attraction for potential real estate investors.

Patey garnered some fame a few years ago in Costa Rica when the non-soccer fanatic bailed out one of Costa Rica’s long standing local team, Club Sport Herediano. His sport investment was documented by UK’s The Guardian in an extensive article, who noted the businessman is also involved in car dealerships and a loan brokerage firm, in addition to La Ponderosa.

To build and run Ponderosa City, hundreds of different types of jobs will be created. The residential and family recreation project will span some 1,000 hectares (over 2,400 acres) and is about 10 minutes from the provincial capital of Liberia.

 

Residents of Ponderosa City will have access to the Ponderosa Adventure Park with its canopy tours and kayaking as well as observation of exotic animals which flourish in the dry savannah environment including zebras and giraffes, said Rodrigo Soto, manager of marketing, image and public relations for the David Patey Corporation, the project developer.

To date, the project has advanced by more than 10 percent which includes investments in land, facilities, a bridge, streets, lighting, sewers and access roads, said the developers.