Dysart et al mayor Murray Fearrey said the township is progressing with plans to develop its 92-acre property on County Road 21 (CR21) but warned it could be 2028 before anything is built.
Council discussed the file again at a March 24 meeting, signing off on a $310,000 spend to hire two Torontobased consultants to serve as project managers. Biglieri Group and MTE Consulting submitted a joint bid to the township, one of three received, to oversee the first phase of development.
Fearrey said Biglieri will handle the planning files with MTE running point on engineering.
Up to now, the project has been led by County-based property developer Paul Wilson, who once owned the land. He sold it to realtor Andrew Hodgson in 2022 before the township bought it for $1.725 million in July 2023.
Wilson indicated last fall the project was too big for him to handle alone and recommended the township secure a project manager. While Fearrey was surprised by the cost, he felt Dysart had no choice but to proceed.
“We can’t do some of this stuff internally and we need to move forward to attract the kind of projects we need. We need a solid plan and to know exactly all the services and studies required before anything can be built,” Fearrey said.
The parcel has been split into 26 lots. Last fall, the township indicated one of those would be held for a new recreation centre, four for a potential long-term care facility and the rest for residential development. There’s also space for a public park and commercial units fronting CR21.
The mayor said the township remained committed to funding future technical assessments, such as traffic, environmental impact and hydrogeological studies and a stormwater management plan – documents Dysart would need to provide to the County to move ahead with an Official Plan amendment.
Money will also be needed to develop key infrastructure such as roads, sewers, hydro lines, water wells and internet. The price tag to service the lot has been pegged at $1.55 million, with Dysart council last year approving a plan to raise $3 million through community bonds. No program has yet been made public.
Despite the substantial cost, Fearrey feels the project is a good one for the township. Asked if he thought Dysart would recoup its outlay, the mayor believes they will.
“Doing all of this increases the price of the lots and basically guarantees development [will happen]. The lot prices will, in my view, double if the services are there,” Fearrey said. “It’s still a viable project for the township and one that’s badly needed.
“I want us to get this in a position with this council [to make sure] it goes ahead. I really don’t want to see this thing sidelined. We’re in tough economic times now and markets are not good, but they will return. Whether it’s a year or two years, I want us to be in a position to take advantage when they do rebound,” the mayor added.
The mayor says the land could one day house up to 100 housing units, with some of the lots slated for multi-residential.
“This is probably going to create 100 jobs when work begins on the construction side. That’s what we’re projecting. That’s a lot of money for our economy in Haliburton,” Fearrey said. “Then we’ll have the taxes coming in from what goes in there, the sewage rates. This will be a big win for the community. But we’ve got to get the foundation in place first.”
Negotiations with a “major” long-term care provider are still ongoing, Fearrey said. Last fall, it was confirmed Extendicare held an interest in the property. It was four years ago, February 2022, when the Ontario government announced it had approved a new 128-bed Extendicare facility had been approved for Haliburton County.
The for-profit long-term care provider has yet to formally commit to a location.
