A wealthy American couple who spend summer in Glenorchy have unveiled plans to transform a site in the township into a campground and community hub. As they take the first steps in realising their vision, they tell Guy Williams why they chose the top of the lake, and why they want the finished product to be an inspiration to others.
An American multimillionaire philanthropic couple have taken the first tangible steps in a radical revamp of the Glenorchy campground.
Paul and Debbi Brainerd this week applied for resource consent for the first phase of their plans, which they say will apply the ''toughest sustainable design principles in the world''.
The first step came on New Year's Day, when they reopened the former campground store as the Glenorchy General Store, offering fresh groceries to locals for the first time in decades.
The couple, who have a home at the nearby exclusive Wyuna subdivision, bought the run-down, 1.6-hectare Glenorchy Holiday Park last March, and have subsequently bought four surrounding properties to add scale to their vision.
They will upgrade the 3ha site in three phases. Once completed, it will accommodate up to 120 people in buildings using half the energy and water of conventional structures.
The first phase, an upgraded campground, is expected to open early next year, by which time construction of phase two should begin.
Mrs Brainerd said they hoped to complete the project within five years, but would not sacrifice quality for speed.
''We're doing it in a thoughtful way. We know the more time we take and the more people we talk to, the more the end product becomes a community-owned space.''
The operation would be run by a commercial entity, with profits channelled into a non-profit community trust set up three weeks ago.
Mr Brainerd said he did not know the project's cost yet because the revolutionary nature of the design ''makes estimates particularly difficult'', but the numbers would become clearer in the next few weeks.
The couple had held three public meetings about their plans, and in response to feedback, had decided to complete the campground first because of community concerns that not having the facility would lead to a loss of business in the township.
They spent most of their days working at the store, and were always available to discuss their plans with residents or visitors, he said.
The couple first visited the township nearly 20 years ago on their first international trip together, and were drawn by its ''natural beauty''.
''We came for the outdoors, but stayed for the people and the culture.
Since Mr Brainerd was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease seven years ago, the couple had followed the summers between Seattle and Glenorchy.
A dedicated environmentalist, Mr Brainerd started a foundation to protect the United States Pacific Northwest's environment.
He is also a founding partner of Social Venture Partners, which encourages business professionals to give time, money and expertise to their community.
The Brainerds also founded Islandwood, a hands-on environmental education centre near Seattle.
A story published by United States public broadcaster PBS says Mr Brainerd made $US120 million profit from the sale of his page composition company Aldus Corporation to Adobe Systems in 1994.
He is credited with coining the phrase ''desktop publishing''.
