Dysart et al council has committed to funding the first phase of development at its 92-acre property on County Road 21 (CR21), with mayor Murray Fearrey saying the township intends to launch a $3 million community bond program to pay for it.
At a special meeting Oct. 7, Paul Wilson, who once owned the parcel and is now consulting for the township, estimated the first phase will cost around $1.55 million.
He said this will cover technical assessments, such as traffic, environmental impact and hydrogeological studies and a stormwater management plan – all documents that County staff told Dysart would be needed to progress an Official Plan amendment, the next step in the process.
Money will also need to be spent developing key infrastructure such as roads, sewers, hydro lines and water wells. Phase one encompasses the front half of the property, closest to CR21, and includes space for a new arena and long-term care facility.
Dysart set aside $100,000 in its 2025 budget to advance the project, but council was told by Wilson last week that it will take significantly more to complete everything the County requires. The township wants to redesignate the land from rural areas and commercial uses to a mixed-use area. It also wants to extend the village boundary to cover the entire 92-acre parcel.
It’s been two years since Dysart purchased the property for $1.725 million from local realtor Andrew Hodgson, who retained a commercial lot fronting CR21.
“We’re going to go out for bonds, try to raise the $3 million to cover the price of the property and the improvement,” Fearrey told The Highlander. “Places for People did it last year and raised $800,000 in just a few weeks… this way, we don’t have to get into more long-term borrowing.”
Dysart planner Jeff Iles went through an updated site plan for the land last week – it included space for a public park, commercial space along CR21, a large parcel for a new recreation centre, four lots the township is holding for long-term care, and more than 20 lots for residential use.
Wilson, an Ontario Land Surveyor, was brought on board in January when council asked him to put together a high-level project plan.
Last week, Fearrey said council is in negotiations with Extendicare to move into the site. In February 2022, Extendicare and the Ontario government announced a new 128-bed facility had been approved for Haliburton County.
Fearrey said he hopes to have a deal with them done by the end of this year, but admitted Extendicare is looking at other sites. Earlier this year, the company said it was “in the process of identifying land to acquire for a new facility… our development team has visited a number of potential parcels of land, and we continue to work closely with municipal officials.”
Wilson said the key to landing Extendicare will be proving the township has enough capacity remaining at its sewage treatment plant, pre-expansion, to take them on – which wasn’t confirmed – and negotiating a price for the land.
One of the next steps will be drilling five wells at different locations to ensure the property has a water supply. Wilson said there’s a road built spanning half the property, which could connect to Industrial Park Road.
He told council the studies needed will likely cost around $300,000 and should be commissioned immediately. Fearrey confirmed a traffic study has been ordered. On the infrastructure side, he said sewer design is the first step.
Wilson said he’ll continue looking after things “for a while” but recommended the township start looking for a project manager. He indicated it could take a year to get all the studies and design work complete. Once done, that would open the second half of the property for development.
“Doing all this prep work now makes the northern portion more saleable. Then whoever buys it can do all the roads, the hydro, sewers,” Wilson said. “I think the chances of the municipality doing that second phase are pretty slim.”
Fearrey confirmed council wants to sell all future residential lots. The township will retain the land earmarked for a new arena, though the mayor said there’s no guarantees it will ever be built.
He wants to see a roundabout installed at the entrance to the property from CR21, rather than traffic lights. The mayor confirmed there are no plans to install sidewalks.
“We hope to get this first phase done, or as much of it as possible, by the end of this term [of council in October 2026],” Fearrey said. “Phase two will be up to the developer that takes this thing on. Those units are all two-acre lots, so whether they put one place in there or something big enough to accommodate six, eight or 10 units, there’s space for all kinds of housing there, I think.”
