‘We wanted to dispel a lot of rumors. We feel some of the conversations we’ve had will do that,’ says the developer
The future possibilities for parts of the former Talisman resort property are beginning to emerge.
Beaver Valley Development Group held multiple public information sessions about its plans for the former Talisman land at the community hall in Kimberley on the evening of Dec. 6. The meetings followed an open-house format and were an opportunity for the group to gather public input and comments about possible future options for the properties.
The group owns two of the former Talisman properties. The upper parcel is a 24-hectare property on top of the escarpment. The lower parcel is a 31-hectare property that runs from Gray County Road 7 up to the former resort buildings. The former resort buildings and the ski hills are a separate property not owned by the group.
At the meetings, slide decks detail the current planning/zoning status of the two properties as well as some high level concepts of what could be possible in terms of future development on the two properties. The concepts include: a mixture of residential uses, possible commercial uses, parkland, trails and open space.
“A big part of what we want to do is listen to the community,” said Beaver Valley Development Group vice-president of real estate Antonio Piazza. “This is a very high-level part of the process. Initially, we were talking about concepts and principles and everyone said: but what are you building? Today is the first step in sharing some of the concepts that are driving our process.”
The group is in the very preliminary stages of planning the next steps for the two properties. They expect to have a pre-consultation with Gray Highlands planning staff in the new year, have begun discussions with the Niagara Escarpment Commission, the Bruce Trail and will soon be consulting with local First Nations. A number of technical reports will also have to be prepared for the property.
Piazza said it’s important for the group to continue to have ongoing dialogue with the local community about the status of the project.
“We wanted to dispel a lot of the rumours. We feel some of the conversations we’ve had will do that,” he said.
Paul Mondell, Beaver Valley Development Group’s head of planning and development, said there is a long way to go and a lot of work to come on the project. He said the open houses were a great opportunity to communicate both the concepts for the property and the restrictions that are in place.
“Our hope and expectation is that once we go through the community dialogue that will help inform our design team,” said Mondell. “We have some significant constraints on these lands.”
Mondell noted that on the upper parcel about 70 per cent of the lands could be developed, while on the lower parcel it was only 25 per cent. Mondell said pre-consultation with the municipality would happen soon and he estimated it would be two to three years from the purchase of the property to see shovels on the ground to start work. Mondell said he was pleased by what he heard from the community at the open house.
“The tone today was a lot different than our earlier meeting,” he said. “I have always prided myself on building enduring places for people to live and raise their kids.”