Living in Union Bay

Union Bay is a small coastal community on Baynes Sound, south of Courtenay along the highway. It was built around coal shipping and it kept the shoreline and the quiet after the industry left. Today it is a residential stretch of coast with very little commercial presence and a long view over the sound.

A Quiet Stretch of Coast

Union Bay is a small residential community rather than a town. There is no real commercial centre, no shopping to speak of and no services beyond the basics, and the appeal is precisely that.

What it has is the shoreline. Baynes Sound is sheltered water between the Island and Denman Island, and the outlook across it is the reason most people buy here. Beach access, the view and the quiet are the whole proposition.

Courtenay is a drive north on the highway for everything the community does not carry, including the hospital and the larger shopping. Buckley Bay and the Denman Island ferry are a short run south.

Highway 19A runs through the community, which makes access straightforward and puts corridor traffic through the middle of it. A property fronting the highway and one set back are different purchases.

The Coal Port and What Remains

Union Bay was built as a shipping point for coal brought down from the Cumberland mines, and it was a substantial industrial operation in its day. When that ended the community became what it is now.

Traces of that history remain in the older buildings and in the shape of the settlement, and the local heritage of the place is a genuine feature rather than a marketing line.

For a buyer the practical legacy is a housing stock that spans a very wide range of ages and conditions, from historic buildings through mid century houses to more recent construction along the shoreline.

The rest of the valley, for comparison:

• ComoxThe peninsula side of the valley, with the marina, the airport and the air force base.
• CourtenayThe commercial heart of the valley, where the rivers meet and most of the shopping is.
• Town of ComoxThe incorporated town itself, with its own council, downtown and waterfront.
• Comox PeninsulaThe rural coastal ground beyond the town, toward Point Holmes and Kye Bay.
• City of CourtenayThe incorporated city, its boundaries, its services and its downtown core.
• East CourtenayNewer subdivisions, the hospital and the highway retail on the city's east side.

Water, Septic and What to Establish

Water servicing in this area has been a subject of local attention over the years, and arrangements have changed. Anyone buying here should establish exactly what supplies a specific property and what that currently costs rather than relying on general information.

Septic fields are common. Age, type and field condition are the questions, and on coastal ground the position of the field relative to the shoreline matters as well.

Those two items, water and septic, are the most important due diligence on any Union Bay purchase, and they are worth resolving before an offer rather than during a subject removal period.

What Coastal Property Costs to Run

Weather off the water is the standing expense. Roofing, cladding, screws, seals and anything outdoors give up sooner than they would inland, so the repair calendar comes round faster.

Rural servicing costs apply where they apply. Add the drive to Courtenay for anything substantial, and the honest monthly picture includes more fuel than a city address would.

Who Union Bay Suits, and Who It May Not

This is for the buyer after quiet frontage well below Comox and peninsula money, who accepts that every errand is a drive. It works for self sufficient retirees and for anyone whose life points at the water.

Poor fit if you need shops within reach, if the hospital has to be minutes away, or if you have not yet pinned down exactly how water reaches the particular lot.

If the coast is the point and more services would help, the Comox Peninsula has both at higher prices. If this stretch of shoreline appeals, Fanny Bay further south is the neighbouring community and worth comparing.