Planners Update 2011

Planners Part 4 - Town of Wasaga Beach: Nathan Wukasch, Planner

Nathan noted that there are 80 active development applications in Wasaga Beach, and added that many are driven by retirees. He stated that on average, 300-350 dwelling unit permits are issued per year. He noted that medium and high density growth has been significant. The development map is online.

He told us that the new firehall is being built, as well as a new library and several development projects are underway. New rules have been proposed around Bed and Breakfast establishments.

Strategic Planning: Wasaga Beach is developing a Special Events Strategy, Parks, Facilities and Recreation Master Plan, and Active Transit Plan and they are in the process of updating their Official Plan.

He drew our attention to the Beach Area 1 & 2 Visioning Exercise, where “over the past six months, the consulting team has been working in conjunction with a steering committee comprised of members of Council, businesses owners, local residents and Town staff. The purpose of the project is to establish a long term vision for the future development of the private and municipally held lands in the area of Beach Areas One and Two and enhance tourism opportunities; while ensuring continued public access to the beach. Input and ideas from the community has played a key role in the overall project.” Although the final report is not complete, some of the ideas coming forth from this visioning are: a festival square, realignment of Mosley St., continuous boardwalk, pedestrian bridges across the river, riverwalk, treed continuous promenade, indoor family attractions.

Nathan commented that the province has legislated that 2nd units will be allowed in all single family homes – municipalities need to decide on implementation.

Wind Power – none proposed in Wasaga Beach

Business Park – close to intersection of Highway 26 and Mosley in early stages of marketing.

Wasaga Beach has 11 family doctors and a community health centre – recruitment continues to be a priority.

Wasaga Beach now has fully accessible transit with 2 buses, 7 days per week and now a transit link to Collingwood 6 days per week 6-9 a.m. and 3-7 p.m.

Related Posts:

Part 1:  Meaford
Part 2: Blue Mountains
Part 3:  Collingwood

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

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

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.

Here are links to the fee schedules for other area municipalities (click to view):

The Blue Mountains
 Wasaga Beach
Clearview
Meaford

P.S.  Note to Blue Mountain web administrator:  Once again, I have to tell you that you have the most impossible to navigate website of all area municipalities.  When will you put your zoning by-law online?  Frustrating!

I don’t really know why because it is one heck of a pretty little Town.  It surely has one of the nicest trail systems in the area and the best waterfront access of any community in South Georgian Bay.  Driving in from the east, you cross a bridge over the Bighead River and view Georgian Bay straight ahead.  I think it is a challenging location caught between Blue Mountain and Owen Sound but, it has its own hospital, library and a wide range of services and goods available in the town.  I think it simply lacks confidence.

A proposed new development called Meaford Haven is being planned for the west end tucked between Highway 26 on the north and the Meaford Golf and Country Club to the south.  It includes plans for up to 400 units of  mixed-use housing including bungalows, apartments, condominiums, assisted living/long-term care units and a commercial component including health centre and recreation facilities.  (I hope their cheesy website is not any indication of their abilities.)

According to the planning report filed by the developers, Meaford Haven “anticipates a planned community providing a variety of accommodation types, set in an secure and safe integrated gated neighbourhood that includes trails, open space, natural corridors and community facilities.”  Hmmm.  Did that say gated?  (Note to developer:  Gates are not a popular notion in these parts.)

You can find the planning reports and read the details on both the Grey County website and Town website or have a look at that draft plan of lay-out here. 

Maybe my Uncle will finally be right?  Only time will tell.

Update June 15, 2011:  Shortly after this post appeared, I got an email from the developer of this project asking for my reasons for calling their website cheesy and asking for input.  Which of course I gave.  A week later, they sent an email to me detailing the changes they were making and the discussions my comments had provoked within their team.  I have to say I’m very impressed and, as I said to them, if they put the same care and attention into their development as they have into following up on my little blog post, then they are sure to do a great job.  Kudos to them.

Mountaincroft is a venture between developer Grandview Homes and Builder, Brownco who are both currently involved in three projects that include Bear Creek Hollow in Barrie and Forest Beach Estates in Innisfil.  In Collingwood, the project is located in the south-west quadrant of Collingwood at the corners of Poplar Side Road and High Street where they are currently building Phases 1 and 2 of a 6 phase, 370 home project. 

On offer are fully detached homes on fully serviced  lots ranging in size from 35 feet to 50 feet wide with an average depth of about 120 feet on streets named after former Collingwood Mayors.  Homes are available in sizes of 1270 sq ft to 3650 sq ft with both bungalows and two storey models at prices ranging from $239,990 to $452,990.

I recently dropped in for a chat with builder, Linda Brown and in-house sales person Deborah Lalande to see how things are going.  At this stage, they have built about 48 homes and 40 are currently occupied.  Several more conditional offers are pending. Buyers have come from both the local community and from other areas and, are a mix of families, couples and early retirees.

Since the first release in June 2008, prices have gone up about $5,000 in Phase 1 and, Phase 2 is $15,000 higher than the first homes sold.  Buyers have a choice of brick or Cape Cod siding.  A quick drive through shows that the preference of buyers to date has been for brick sided, two storey homes on 35 foot wide lots.

The beautifully decorated model home is certainly impressive but then again, it includes numerous upgrades valued at about $120,000.00.  Many features though are standard

including modern rounded drywall corners, satin nickel finish hardware, 5 1/4’ trim package, Kohler bath and kitchen fixtures, stained oak stairs, 9 foot ceilings and, each home includes an installed HRV system plus 3 stainless steel appliances.

 One of the features I really like is that almost all models include a front porch and, a Muskoka chair is included with every home.

When I compare the price points of other subdivisions such as Pretty River Estates,  Creekside and Georgian Meadows, Mountaincroft is neither the least nor the most expensive.  Each offers something different and pricing varies depending on lot sizes, home sizes and finishes.  In general, Mountaincroft appears to offer good value in exchange for a quality product with great designs and finishes.

Like most subdivisions under development, the streetscaping screams construction however, sidewalks and trees will be installed this year which should go a long way toward improving first impressions of this project.

Mountaincroft does cooperate with REALTORS® and in fact, we may be able to negotiate some advantageous benefits for buyers so be sure to contact myself or your personal REALTOR® to arrange a tour of this project and to learn what options are available to you.  It doesn’t cost you anything and may in fact, put dollars in your pocket.

The 63.75 acre site is located along the north side of the highway running west from Long Point Road and east to Blue Mountain Drive. Some of the property includes the Easter Seal camp, Alphorn Restaurant and Craigleith General Store. Approximately  40% of the land is designated Provincially Significant Wetland (PSW).

There is no question that a development of this magnitude would have a significant impact in the area.  The public has raised concerns about everything from protection of the environment to traffic impacts.

You can view a copy of the proposed site plan here and, find full details of the proposal, studies and planning documents on the Town of Blue Mountain website here.

Georgian Gate Limited is proposing a combination of 609 single family, detached and semi-detached homes on the north side of Mountain Road running from Osler Bluff Road tp to the new round-about on Grey 19.  The subject lands abut La Scandinave Spa which is on the north east edge.

The Town will be holding a public meeting on April 4th to receive comments from the public in regard to the proposed development and full details can be found here.

When couples decide to divorce, financial assets accumulated while together must be equitably divided and in many cases, the most substantial shared asset is the matrimonial home. While each spouse is usually entitled to 50% of the accumulated home equity (minus the amounts contributed by each spouse individually when the home was purchased), if the property isn’t sold, one side will almost always buy out the other. In today’s post I’ll offer some mortgage tips to divorcées in general, and I’ll provide specific mortgage advice to divorcing spouses who are planning to buy their ex-spouse’s share of their current home.

Before we get into specifics, here are three tips that every divorcing spouse should read. First, make sure you keep paying your bills throughout your settlement period. While I appreciate the raw emotions involved in working through a divorce, refusing to pay joint bills is literally cutting off your nose to spite your face. Recent slow or missed payments will make it either prohibitively expensive or downright impossible to qualify for mortgage financing in the foreseeable future. The best advice I can give you is to make sure that all of the bills are paid (you can seek reimbursement for the expenses your spouse should have covered during the settlement phase, so keep your receipts!)
Second, separate your joint accounts as soon as possible and check your credit report to ensure that you did not miss anything. Regardless of what you and your ex-spouse have agreed about who is responsible for paying what bill, a missed payment on a joint account will hurt both your credit ratings equally. Also, if all or most of your credit has been in your spouse’s name, set up your own accounts as quickly as possible because it is much easier to get approved for a mortgage with an established credit history. 
   
Third, since no lender will provide you with a mortgage until all of your future financial obligations can be clearly understood, complete your separation/divorce agreement as a matter of priority. Also, because your soon-to-be ex-spouse can make a claim against any of your assets, lenders will not risk such a claim on your new home while divorce proceedings are still underway. 

More specifically, if you are looking to buy out your former husband/wife’s share of the matrimonial home, the first step is to agree on the property’s current market value. This can be done by hiring an appraiser, and/or speaking with real estate agents who are mutually accepted as trusted resources. If an agreement on price can be reached, the net equity in the home can then be calculated by subtracting any debts secured against the property along with the estimated costs of disposition (selling costs are included because they must be incurred in order to liquidate the property). If a price cannot be mutually agreed upon, the house will normally be listed for sale and either spouse may bid on it in the open market.

No matter how  the current value of your home is established, the spouse who wishes to purchase the property must be able to afford the required mortgage, and qualifying on a single income can be difficult (for help with this question, try my calculator called “How much can I qualify for?“). 

When inputting your annual income, remember that if your finalized separation/divorce agreement indicates that you are eligible for alimony or child support payments, these amounts can be added to your employment income. Conversely, if you are responsible for making these payments, the lender will include them as part of your ongoing expenses. (Note: Even though alimony is tax deductible for the paying spouse, lenders will include the gross amount in their debt-servicing calculations.) If after taking this step the numbers still aren’t looking good, keep in mind that there are more flexible mortgage solutions available (feel free to contact me to discuss your individual circumstances).

Lastly, if your spouse is buying out your equity in the matrimonial home, get confirmation from the lender in writing that you are no longer registered on the mortgage, and keep in mind that simply being taken off the property’s title is not the same thing. Until you have this proof in hand, you could still be on the hook for the outstanding mortgage balance for a house you no longer own.

While getting through a divorce is often  unpleasant and expensive, getting good mortgage advice can at least help save you money and unnecessary hassle. To ensure that you are left in the best possible position, try to involve your chosen independent mortgage planner as early in the process as possible, because you’ll be surprised at the difference we can make, especially when given a little time. 

David Larock is an independent full-time mortgage planner and industry insider. You can contact Dave through his website at www.integratedmortgageplanners.com