Planners Update 2011

Planners Part 3 – Town of Collingwood – Trevor Houghton – Senior Planner

Trevor started his presentation by going over the various communication tools that the Planning Department is taking advantage of: their website, Facebook – where you can see applications, public notices, meetings, etc.) ; Developments map and subdivisions map. He noted that they have undertaken a population growth study, a directive from the province, in 2011 to determine what lands are needed to achieve 33,400 people and 13,500 jobs by the year 2031. Collingwood is 1 of 5 urban nodes in Simcoe County, and must achieve 40% intensification target or 50 residents/jobs per hectare.

DEVELOPMENTS

Balmoral Village – Harbour St. at Highway 26, currently going through approval process.
Total of 290 units: Commercial space, a rec-centre, 20 singles, 24 semi-detached, 36 townhomes, 210 apartment units, 120 suite retirement home and a 96 bed long-term care facility.

Duke of Connaught – 125 Napier Street
An addition will be added to the rear of the building to make a fourplex plus 2 units in the original building. 2 lots to be severed to the north and 2 lots to be severed to the south for Single Family Residences

Admiral Collingwood – Corner Hume and Hurontario Streets
OP and zoning amendments are Town of Collingwood initiated (not developer-initiated). Assaff has applied to the town for amendments, Strandholdt has not. Differences since the mediated settlement: height, density, and omission of Section 37 bonusing. Cannot bring forward development application unless Heritage Plan is amended.

Shopper’s Drugmart – 18,000 sq.ft. building on First Street opening first week of January 2012

Esso Gas Station – First at Cedar Streets, with new corner store, coffee shop, drive-through, car wash

Wyldewood – Cranberry Trail East and Highway 26 W. – Now under construction 

 
 Related Posts:

Part 1:  Meaford
Part 2: Town of Blue Mountains

Toronto Star:  Neighbours Suing Neighbours:  Potentially Precedent Setting Lawsuit Regarding Wind Turbines 
Now this is going to be interesting to watch unfold.  I say three cheers for John Wiggins suing WPD.  Not so sure about suing the neighbours though.  

The Enterprise Bulletin:  Rally Planned To Support Admiral Development 
So let me get this straight.  A (likely large) group of citizens are going to rally to essentially send a message that says to the Town council, “we support you in spending hundreds of thousands  of our tax dollars to break and bend rules for a private business interest.   Hooray!”  How odd.

The Blue Mountains Courier Herald:  Telfer Comes Back With New Ideas for Thornbury Village 
This one has been pretty controversial as citizens debate how the village should grow.  

The Meaford Express:  Meaford Proposes Heritage District Now 
Yay Meaford.  Wish you’d thought of this BEFORE the Harbour Moose got demolished.

Each year, our local Georgian Triangle Association of REALTORS®, (GTAR) invite a panel of our local municipality’s planners to update our members about current events in their geographic areas. Over a few weeks, we at the The Collingwood Blue Mountain Real Estate Blog are posting summaries from these discussions.

Planners Update 2011

Planners Part 2 – The Blue Mountains – an update:

They are participating in the Southern Georgian Bay Regional Economic Development Strategic Plan (with Collingwood, Wasaga Beach and Clearview.)

50 new “home” developments – with average home value of $475,000

Windfall – OPA approved – 609 units in total – 351 singles, 258 semis; servicing starting in spring of 2012 – 30% open space with 5.7 km of trails

Terrasan – Approved February 2011, but they’ve had no word from the proponent – involved in some serious problems right now with other developments

Blue Mountain Resorts – they’ve take up some off season attractions:  such as tree-top walk; BMR is now operating the Westin; BMR bought the discovery centre

Georgian Woodlands Phase 3 – 101 detached, and 148 multis

New EMS Station – south of the fire station and under construction

Telfer Homes – Thornbury – 86 units proposed – Open House January 10^th, public meeting January 16, 2012

Short Term Accommodation By-law (STA) – approved by the OMB June 2011 – and is in full force and effect

-          They are looking at developing a budget for 2012 for enforcement, licensing, registry

-          STAs permitted in R5, R6, R7 and R8 zoning – depends on number of occupants, parking, setbacks, waste management, etc.

-          STAs and not permitted in R1-R4 zoning

-          All information is available on the town’s website.

Wind Turbines – no current applications, not likely ever to materialize in the Niagara Escarpment Commission area

Tourism Initiatives: 

-“Apple Pie Trail” was winner of the 2011 Culinary Experience Award by Ontario Tourism
-Centurion Bike Race was a great success (700+ riders!)

Newcomer’s Profile: 

-looking for a) quality of life and b) natural capital
-usually creative, highly intelligent, entrepreneurial; seeking an antidote to suburban lifestyle

The Blue Mountains maps are available online.

Part 1:  Meaford

Planners Part 1 -  Rob Armstrong, Director of Planning and Building Services, Municipality of Meaford

Rob told us that Meaford has adopted urban design standards, and a Heritage Conservation District Plan.  Year-to-date building stats are down over last year (2010.)  The Health Unit is getting out of the business of septic approvals – now application must be made to the Municipality.

The consolidated zoning by-law and related maps are all online now on the Meaford website, as well as other important documents such as their Official Plan and a Development Summary complete with interactive maps.

When summarizing current development activity, Rob mentioned:

Meaford Haven – with 400+ residential units, a senior’s home and a commercial component, this is the largest development in Meaford’s history.

Meaford Highlands Resort – 350 acres on the 3^rd line which is in preconsultation stage.

Meaford Legion Development – 4 storey building with 3 levels of units plus the legion – zoning has been approved – expected to proceed in 2012

Gates of Kent – another 30 units will be built

Downtown – 2 major intensification projects are being considered 

Wind Turbines: 

• MinnieHill – application for single turbine has been withdrawn. 
• Silcote Corners – near the tank range in Meaford – this is still an active file, but it is on hold a the moment as the FIT application has not yet been approved.

I’m happy to report that the real estate market is alive and well in Canada including here in the Collingwood – Blue Mountain and area marketplace.  2011 followed very similar patterns to other economic sectors with a slow start in the first half of the year and a gradual improvement leading to a pretty strong finish in the last quarter.

The economic turbulence that we are witnessing around the world did not lead to a retreat in residential sales and prices.  While we are not immune to the effects of global turmoil, Canadians seem to be proactive in advance of rising housing values and expected rising interest rates ahead.  Here’s how things looked locally.

There were a total of 1869 sales of all types in all areas reporting on the Georgian Triangle Association of REALTORS® MLS® system.  In addition to 1161 single family home sales, there were also 352 condo sales, 127 vacant land sales and 35 sales of industrial or commercial land and buildings

(Point of Interest: There were an average of less than 10 sale ends per REALTOR®)

Of the 1869 total sales:
• 584 (31.2%) were under $200,00
• 686 sales (36.7%) were between $200-$300,000
• 422 Sales (22.6%) were priced between $300-$500,000
• Almost 68% of all sales were below $300,000
• 177 (9.5%) were over $500,000 representing the top tier of the Georgian Triangle marketplace.  There were 29 sales over the one million dollar mark including 7 over 1.5 million.

Here is a chart showing the number of sales, of all types, in the full area month by month:

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While the year started out well behind 2010, by the final quarter, sales in 2011 pulled well ahead of 2010 with a strong finish in the month of December. 

At the end of December, there were 1722 properties listed for sale compared to 1592 in December 2010.  So while we are seeing an increase in demand, we also have increased supply which has the effect of holding the sales-to-listing ratio below 30%.  This means that it is still buyer’s market conditions in most areas.

The Georgian Triangle reporting area includes several communities that overlap with other reporting areas such as Essa, Tiny, Mulmur, Springwater and areas completely outside of our board area.  These are all included in the statistics yet may not present an accurate view of those communities. 

Below is a breakdown of sales data for the six KEY areas of the Georgian Triangle including Collingwood, Blue Mountain, Wasaga Beach, Meaford, Clearview and Grey Highlands.

Click to enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Note:  2007 was a peak year that was followed by a recession in mid 2008- mid 2009.  You can see by the charts that the recovery has been slow but steady.  I wouldn’t say we aspire to reach 2007 levels again soon as it was an inflated boom year. Despite that, average sale prices have clearly risen well beyond that point.

Here is a breakdown showing the 12 month average, single family residential sale price (Number of Sales By Area)

Collingwood  $289,747 (303)
Blue Mountains  $552,280 (153)
Wasaga Beach  $276,400 (385)
Clearview  $293,098 (155)
Meaford   $288,991   (88)
Grey Highlands  $325,521   (77)

CONDOMINIUMS

Condominiums represent a large part of the market – especially in Collingwood and Blue Mountain were 93% of all area condo sales take place.  Condominiums in fact represented 40% of all dwelling units sold in Collingwood in 2011 and 45% of dwelling unit sales in the Town of Blue Mountains.  Here is a chart with a breakdown of sales and average sale prices:

Click to Enlarge

 Predictions

It looks like I was lucky AGAIN with my predictions last year for the 2011 market since they turned out as I had projected. At this point, I feel like I’m tempting fate to go for another year but hey, what’s the worst that can happen?  I’ll never hold as bad a record as poor Garth Turner!

- I think we’ll see a slowdown in local housing starts with some new development plans shelved for awhile due to a continued over-supply in the new home market

- Continued stability and momentum for at least the 1st half of 2012.  After that, potential interest rate hikes and global market instability could moderately cool the housing market if at all

- I suspect we will see an increase of about 1% in average sale prices due to the continued strength in the upper tier market.  This does not translate to a general increase in residential median prices

- It’s possible that the combination of high consumer debt loads and slower economic growth may lead to a new round of tightened mortgage regulations but any impact of that, if any, is impossible to predict without knowing what those changes might be.

- Consumer confidence in Canada has remained surprisingly high and investors are anxious to increase their real estate holdings while money is cheap and other financial markets generate poor returns.  As people continue to buy to get ahead of potential rising interest rates and prices, this area in particular is poised to remain stable.

- Unless there is a significant shift in economic policies or crisis in the global markets, I would expect that the number of sales in 2012 will be at least equal to 2011 or more likely, slightly higher than in 2011.

So here we go.  Let the buying and selling begin.  Happy New Year!

P.S.  If you haven’t already done so, you may wish to subscribe to my monthly newsletter with updated market conditions, local news, great new businesses in town and some great tips.  You can subscribe by clicking here.

Think of the Chelsea Market in New York City or the Distillery District in Toronto and you can imagine the vision for an exciting cultural corridor which is evolving in the heart of downtown Collingwood.

Theatre Collingwood announces it will be creating a new home base on March 1st at 51 St. Marie Street, at the corner of Simcoe Street. Theatre Collingwood’s new Production Centre will become the location where the professional company will construct sets, render scenic art, create costumes and build props. The Box Office & Administration will join the operations, for the first time ever under the same roof.

As well, the new year-round Drama Training program for Teens and for Adults and rehearsals for productions will take centre stage here. Member events, play readings, and special events are also planned for the future. Theatre Collingwood’s mainstage summer season performances will continue at the Historic Gayety Theatre.

Hella Sandberg is credited for being the catalyst of this new relationship between the Lex’s and the theatre company. A passionate supporter of Theatre Collingwood since its inception in 1984, Hella has served in various capacities during these 27 years as costume designer, head of wardrobe, volunteer committee member and 24/7 cheerleader. Acutely aware of Theatre Collingwood’s needs and its nomadic existence over the years, she suggested the initial meeting between Artistic Director Steven Thomas with Rick Lex. Steven comments, “There was an instant meeting of minds. We have had a common vision but have been working independently toward the same goal: creating an arts hub in the downtown district in which the theatre company would be the core professional performing arts magnet.”

Rick and Anke plan to link the theatre space to the main hall/foyer and feature organic local foods and creative studio spaces. Rick notes, “the conceptional rendering of the exterior by local artist Jason Alexander suggests a grand entrance and facade which complements the heritage surroundings. The renovation of the building’s facade will take place early this year.” Anke adds, “the concept of adaptive reuse has always been very exciting to us. We are absolutely thrilled to house the Theatre Collingwood Production Centre in part of the former Newspaper building.”

The Theatre Collingwood Board of Directors, chaired by Harold Bickerstaff, are equally enthusiastic about the potential. “This represents an exciting and meaningful partnership between a private developer and a non-profit arts organization. We believe this synergy of performing and visual arts will also inspire local residents to more actively engage in their culture” says Bickerstaff proudly.

The new Theatre Collingwood Production Centre will be located across from the Library, in the building formerly known as the Enterprise Bulletin, originally built in 1985 and known as the historic Press Building. Coinciding with this move, the Enterprise Bulletin newspaper is moving next door to the 140 year old historic building which has just been newly restored by the Lex’s.

Theatre Collingwood’s move to the heart of St. Marie and Simcoe Streets connects a cultural pathway between the new Library, the Tremont’s artist studios, The Bay School of Art, the Enterprise Bulletin newspaper, the Collingwood Museum, and just a short walk away, the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts and the Historic Gayety Theatre.

The collective dream of a vibrant cultural arts scene is truly a win-win partnership between Rick & Anke Lex and Theatre Collingwood for the benefit of the entire community.

For the first time this year, the folks at Downtown Collingwood are hosting an Ice Sculpture Festival that runs now through to New Year’s Eve.  The work is being done by a company called Iceculture and this year’s event here will consist of more than 22,000 pounds of ice!
 
According to the website, “Iceculture is one of the larger players in the hospitality ice business, worldwide, and is recognized as a leader when it comes to developing unique and exciting designs in ice, such as the beaded ice curtain and the ice portrait. The company currently holds the Guinness World Record for the largest ice sculpture; created for GM at the Canadian Auto Show in Toronto using 2000 blocks of ice and completed by a team of fourteen ice carvers. Iceculture has also designed and installed more than twenty permanent and semi-permanent ice lounges and restaurants around the world – in Dubai, Thailand, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, India, Greece and throughout theUnited States.”

I popped own this morning in the -12 degree freeze to have a look for myself and was darn impressed.  Then I found this terrirfic video done by Big Screen FX here in town that shows the creation of one of these sculptures from beginning to end.  So that’s how they do it!

3 Dogs
4 Cats
17 Female Rats
12 Male Rats
1 Corn Snake
i Bearded Dragon
1 Fish
2 Newts
1 Hedgehog
3 Rabbits
4 Degus
1 Chinchilla
1 Mouse
1 Ferret
2 Budgies               
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree…  Nah, just kidding on this one

There is only one thing I find more surprising than this tenants compassion for all things living and that is, they were not breaking any rules.  Provided the dogs and cats are licensed, there is not a darn thing anyone can do about this zoo in the ‘hood.  Can you imagine how thrilled the neighbours must be?

I surfed on over to the Town of Collingwood’s Restricted Pet By-law and sure enough, none of the lovely critters listed above is restricted.  Now on the other hand, you may NOT keep a kangaroo, elephant, walrus or alligator in your home.  Darn.  There go my plans for John’s birthday gift.

This contentious site was once home to the town’s original high school which was built in 1874 and then rebuilt after a fire in 1925.  It eventually became an elementary school which many of today’s local residents fondly recall having attended.  In 2003, a new school was built on another site and the existing property was sold to local developers.

In 2005, the developers applied to change both the Official Plan designation and zoning by-laws for the lands to permit a retirement facility and  a six-storey, mixed use, residential/commercial building.  There was significant public opposition as the site is located within Collingwood’s Heritage Conservation District which basically restricted new projects to having a form, scale and height of existing buildings along Hurontario Street with building heights to be a maximum of 11 meters or, 2-3 storeys in the Downtown core.  Despite this restriction and despite a heritage impact assessment saying the building did not conform, the council of the day gave their approvals to the plan.

An appeal to the OMB (Ontario Municipal Board) was launched by a ratepayers group (full disclosure:  I was integrally involved) and during that time, a new council was also elected.  The new council DID NOT revoke any development approvals however, they did over turn the previous council’s approval of the Heritage Impact Assessment, thereby nullifying the basis of the appeal to the OMB.  They subsequently negotiated a compromise with the developer allowing a 5 storey building with the 5th storey set back from the road to reduce impact on the streetscape.

Reportedly due to economic times, the development did not proceed beyond the digging of a large and unsightly hole on the site.  The public became increasingly agitated and a sentiment to see it built in some form took hold.  Another election was fought and a new council now took on the political responsibility for seeing the project move forward.

This is a long and complicated story with many twists and turns but in a nutshell, the developer, knowing he had a sympathetic council, came back to the table with a proposal for a 6 storey, plus partial 7th storey altered plan to be approved.

Public emotion is again raging and passionate.  There are those who wish to see this project built at any cost and, there are those who fear it will jeopardize the existence of Collingwood’s respected Heritage Conservation District.  In the last week, the discussion seems to be turning toward the design of such a massive building on a prominent site.

Here is a rendering of what the developer has proposed:

Here is an excellent example of a new condominium being built on a very similar site in Etobicoke. In my view, there is simply no contest as to which one stands out as an iconic, heritage style building:

This week-end, I received an anonymous email with several mock-ups attached that show the scale and density of the existing proposal.  The writer refers to the proposed structure as a “monster” and says, “The look and feel of a town is very delicate and a sense of place in one’s mind is easily destroyed.”  I would certainly agree and share the same sentiments.  The writer also attached a number of “professionally generated images” of the building to give people a perspective on just how much this will change our sense of place:

 The Town is holding a public meeting on December 5th to discuss amendments to the Heritage District which would allow the present plan to proceed.  It is sure to be an interesting evening.

Georgian Gate

The Official Plan Amendment is being forwarded to the County of Grey for approval.

 According to the notice, “The purpose of Official Plan Amendment No. 27 is to provide a land use framework for a residential community containing 609 dwelling units comprised of single detached residential dwellings and semi-detached residential dwellings on the subject lands.”

The zoning amendment rezones “the subject lands from the Deferred Development DD and Hazard H Zones to the Residential R1-232-h, Hazard H, Public Open Space OS1, Private Open Space OS2-232-h and Development D Zones.”

To view the full Blue Mountains Notice, please click  here.

To view our previous blogpost about this development, click here.