Georgian Communities takes over Nottawa development
Georgian Communities has purchased the Delzotto lands and hopes to proceed with developing a first phase of single detached dwellings as planned under the new project name Village of Nottawa.
Manager of Development Jay Beech made a presentation to Clearview council Monday on the development’s next steps on behalf of the Massie family, reviewing the parent company’s history since 1981 when it acquired the Georgian Pontiac Buick dealership in Barrie. Since then it has invested in sports teams, events, an airline, and a BMW and Mini dealership before its first home sales in 2013. Beech outlined five development projects at various stages of completion in Oro, Craighurst, Blue Mountain and Collingwood, with the Nottawa project being the newest. The Nottawa development received draft plan approval in 2011 for 192 single detached dwellings, 278 condos and 30 mixed use units.
“Ultimately what we would like to do is advance 118 single family detached units, to not change the draft plan at all. Phase 2 would go through a comprehensive OPA red line revision and zoning application to ensure that we get it right,” said Beech. “We think there is an opportunity to, not make it better but, enhance it to [give] it more community connectivity and deliver what we truly believe as the right community.”
He said their engineers have presented an “aggressive schedule” that has them delivering homes in 2026.
“There’s a lot of heavy lifting to do considering we haven’t touched the site yet,” said Beech.
He said crucial next steps are to obtain waste water servicing allocation from the Town of Collingwood and expand the McKean water supply system.
Expansion of the existing municipal supply well system in Nottawa, the McKean Water System, is being recommended by Clearview Township director of public works Dan Perreault.
He reported last month, “Georgian Communities approached the township in 2021 to conduct a test well location investigation program which, was subsequently undertaken by Crozier Consulting Engineers in May 2022. The findings of the investigation indicated that expansion of the existing McKean water supply system is feasible, and that this solution could service both existing and future drinking water supply demands.”
Perreault reported that staff is aware that there may be additional interim reserved sanitary sewage treatment capacity from the Town of Collingwood, that could be made available for the development.
“Georgian Communities have requested that Clearview staff begin conversations with Town of Collingwood staff to determine the required upgrades required to the Collingwood system in order to service this development,” reported Perreault. “Staff are recommending that the township not proceed with servicing the remaining residents of Nottawa at this time due to the financial burden it would place on them. Staff will ensure that the sanitary sewer that runs from Nottawa to Collingwood is of sufficient size to manage the future needs of the village and ensure that the well pump house site is sufficiently sized to incorporate any needed reservoir expansion.”
Although James Massie, son of Georgian International and Georgian Communities chairman and CEO Jamie Massie, is the developer for the Nottawasaga and Creemore Public School Annex development, Beech told The Echo that the project is not affiliated with Georgian Communities.
Interestingly, one of Georgian Communities’ projects reviewed at Monday’s meeting is the Victoria Annex in Collingwood, which included the restoration of a schoolhouse. Beech said a lengthy heritage impact and structural design process was undertaken and “major structural reenforcement” was needed to ensure the existing school stayed intact.
Georgian Communities is planning to hold a public information session for the Village of Nottawa project on August 14, at a location to be announced.
