More than five years after the first approval of the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors, who approved a special use permit for Simply Shenandoah for the first time, the founder of the resort on Thursday returned with a comprehensive update with a comprehensive update and a new vision for what he describes as a national model for renewable tourism.
“We didn't get that far to get that far,” said Mike Marburg to a joint meeting of the board of the supervisory authority and the planning commission. “We will do it and we will do it in a way that you will all be proud of.”
From an abstract dream to a 640 hectare withdrawal, which is embedded in the forested combs of Star Tannery, Shenandoah has simply developed into what his creators now describe a model for “regenerative hospitality”. The wellness resort combines personal renewal with ecological restoration, economic investments and a deep commitment to the position.
“Most of our problems can be solved when we look at how Mother Nature solves things,” said Marburg in an interview with the daily newspaper before the government meeting. “We want to combine people again with this wisdom.”
Marburg, who brought the project to the planning commission for the first time in 2019, now hopes to open the room in 2027.
“I have lost a lot of money so far,” Marburg told commissioners and superiors during the joint meeting. “But it is because I am interested. My family will be here, my entire extended family will be in this area. Although I am not from here, I still look at this part of my house.”
The resort will sit next to the Backbone State Forest of Devil without cars going beyond the first area. The guests will go to Marburg via an “intent bridge” to reach a central village that is surrounded by kilometers-long hiking trails, forest restoration zones and several retreat style buildings, which are designed for yoga, massage, fitness and farm-to-table meal.
The bridge described as a symbolic threshold marks the beginning of the personal journey of every guest and invites them to pause, reflect on their intentions before entering the retreat.
Marburg described the facility as a place for “transformation trips”, on which the guests take the time to reflect on the most important transitions in life, combine and recover from the most important transitions in life, including grief, divorce or change of career. The offers range from meditation and massage to survival skills, mountain biking and cooking courses.
“It's a place that is fun. It's a place that is a vacation. But it is a place where you can work on yourself,” he said.
The complete building documents should be completed by August 1, followed by a two-month subcontractor bid window. Marburg said he planned to receive more than 400 offers.
Instead of approaching in the traditional sense of development, the team behind simply Shenandoah says, it tried not to treat the country as capital, but as a partner that can be heard.
In a recent blog post on his website, Thutatureretreat.com, Marburg found that his first employees were not architects or engineers, but a landscape architecture company and a regenerative development advice that helps to design not only around the country, but also with it. He described a sustainability plan, geothermal heating and cooling, purely electrical cuisine, no plastic and the procurement of food within a radius of 150 miles. The rooms do without TVs, with the beds in the mountains.
The resort also plans to reintroduce American chestnut, a once dominant way that was almost wiped out by the Blight in the early 1900s. Guests have the opportunity to plant chestnut trees, adopt and return over the years to observe their growth.
“We have a concept that we land as a partner,” he said. “Land is not a capital. We are not here to own the country. We are here to work with it.”
Simply Shenandoah also supports itself from the perspectives of the American indigenous people on land and healing. Streets on the property have names that come from local languages and were selected by advice with tribal consultants. A planned common area offers space for guests to take part in symbolic rituals or calm moments of creating intent.
Marburg said the goal was to invite guests into a more mutable relationship with nature, which are informed of the knowledge of those who have been living in balance for generations.
“If you step down from the complexity of life, what matters is simple: family, nature, community,” said Marburg in an interview before the meeting. “We try to help people remember.”
Financial supporters include minimitis, a family office that supports wellness-focused properties all over the world, and Wellmore Partners, co-founded the Marburg Group.
But the journey remains personally for Marburg. His extended family plans to live nearby. He hopes that the resort not only attracts guests, but also cultivated neighbors, stewards and returnees.
In the first decade, the project is to generate $ 200 million of $ 200 million in the amount of $ 50 million and 225 full and part-time jobs. Marburg said that the resort would work with local craftsmen, farmers and companies to embed the business in the culture and economy of Shenandoah County. He also promised to establish foundation grants for first aiders and veterans who were looking for emotional or physical healing.
“This is a place that should encourage people to think about themselves and their deeper purpose,” said Marburg.