Dysart et al has completed a $1.725 million purchase of a 90-acre property fronting County Road 21, with mayor, Murray Fearrey, labelling the parcel “prime, developable land.”
The municipality closed with the listed owner, Ontario Vantage Consulting Inc., in May, with the deal being complete in late July. One of the stipulations outlined is that the previous owner will retain a 3.25-acre lot on the southwest corner of the property, which is to be surveyed on the township’s dime.
The previous mortgage, valued at $1.45 million, was held by Harburn Holdings – a company owned by local businessman Paul Wilson. The property is located across from Haliburton Veterinary Clinic.
Speaking to The Highlander, Fearrey said the purchase – the most financially significant in Dysart’s recent history – was big news for the community.
“We’re looking at it for residential and recreation opportunities. It’s right on the sewer line. It’s all diggable, there’s no bedrock in there, so it’s got a lot of potential,” Fearrey said. “The size of it, it’s almost as many acres as Haliburton village. It’s a big area, and it touches our industrial park property [to the north]. This is a big win for Dysart. It’s the only way the town could grow. With the hill on one side and the lake on the other, there’s just not this kind of land around, so this is very exciting for us.”
Fearrey said the township will be looking to sell the land to developers.
“We’ve got people showing an interest, but we want to do this in a fashion that we have an overall plan. We need to know we’re putting the right things in place there. We want to get a good mix of housing,” the mayor said.
Housing, recreation targeted
“It will not be our intent to lose one cent on the value of that property. We won’t be giving a whole lot away, because we need to recoup that money for other things.”
With A.J. LaRue Arena and the Haliburton Curling Club building, in the mayor’s words, nearing the end of their lives, he believes this new property could be an ideal home for replacements. He wasn’t keen on opening the parcel up for extensive commercial development, however.
“We don’t want to remove [the draw] of the downtown. I think there would be more recreational opportunities we’d be looking at there. We know our arena is coming to the end of its life, the curling club, too,” Fearrey said. “There’s a lot of possibilities here that I may not see in my term but can be planned for the future.”
Coun. Pat Casey said the site could be an ideal location for a swimming pool down the line. While he’s excited about the “many possibilities” this land presents, he noted council will take their time and ensure they’re making the best decision for the long-term.
The first priority, Casey said, will be proceeding with various studies of the site in the coming months. Once those reports arrive back at town hall, proposals will be brought to council for consideration.
“Buying the land is one thing, but it’s another to get all the infrastructure we need here. That’s not going to be an overnight process,” he said. “This is just one step of making sure we’re setting this community up for the future. Whether it’s this council, or another council five or 10 years down the line, you have to be forward thinking and find ways to help this place handle the growth [we’ve already seen] and are expecting to see.”
Council’s next focus, Casey noted, will be the township’s sewage treatment plant, which he says will likely need to be upgraded. Council’s next focus, Casey noted, will be the township’s sewage treatment plant, which he says will likely need to be upgraded.
“We can buy all this land, we can get development going here, but if you don’t have the necessary sewage capacity then it puts everything in a vacuum,” Casey said. “We don’t want to be limited with what we can do here.”
Fearrey said the land, once developed, would go a long way to addressing the community’s housing crisis, saying he wants to see all types of housing built there. During a recent County council meeting, it was estimated Dysart’s population is to grow almost 60 per cent over the next 30 years, from 7,300 people to 11,600. By developing this land, Fearrey believes the township would be able to support that growth.
“This was something we had to do, we had to look for if we’re going to grow how [the province] wants us to. Our next move, once we’ve surveyed the land and got a handle for what’s needed, is to find a developer who will pay a price for a good property and do the right thing on it,” Fearrey said.
