At the Sept. 28th 2022, Town Council meeting, Council approved a 155-unit Retirement Resort Development at Friday Harbour.
Lots of land to work with
This was not in the original plans for Friday Harbour and will replace an area that was previously designated for medium density residential development.
We recognize the (growing) need for more retirement residences in Innisfil. Council almost unanimously approved this change to the Official Plan and Zoning amendment. The positive aspects of this development are that it will create about fifty permanent jobs, and also create space for seniors to live.
Quiet times on the boardwalk
The question is: Will these be affordable retirement residences or higher priced units?
It is a well-recorded fact that Friday Harbour has constantly changed their plans from those originally agreed to by Council. Some residents of Friday Harbour are comfortable with these changes, while others prefer to be more certain that the resort will develop in in the way they expected when they originally bought their units.
Here’s a recap of some of the changes:
- A couple of years ago an allocation for an additional one thousand units was added and approved by Council.
- The location of the hotel was changed, the building of it delayed and the hotel no longer needs to be built before construction of other units, as in the original plan.
- Friday Harbour has been changed from a seasonal resort to one allowing permanent residency.
- Now there will be a Retirement Residence.
The Resort has received Council approval for every one of these changes. We believe there must be transparent, clear communication with the residents of Friday Harbour and the surrounding area. In our opinion, there must be a broad consensus that these changes will benefit the community, rather than the developers. We can’t help but wonder what is next in this ever-evolving community?