When you look around here, it looks like an abandoned community; however, it is more like a community on pause, indefinitely.
This 15.35 acre parcel was originally developed by the town as an industrial area sometime from 2011 to 2014/2015. After about 5 years of marketing this parcel to prospective buyers, no deal had been made and thus, they accepted a proposal to purchase the entire area for residential and commercial development (2016) to try and recoup some of the $6.8million they reportedly sunk into this project already.
The gears were set in motion to rezone this parcel of land to accommodate at the March 22, 2016 meeting of council. By 26th of April, 2016, the bylaw was passed and the doors were open for the developers.
The concept was to build an all inclusive 50+ complex to accommodate the significant retirement community in town, including apartment condos, villas and a long-term care facility. There were some reservations by the residents of town since there was already a problem with a neighborhood on the north side of the highway being able to access services in the main body of town, but the proposal included a number of commercial developments for the potential new residents.
Things seemed to stagnate for a while and the original developer stepped out and a new one stepped in. Under the new team, construction began on infrastructure (water and sewage lines). Again, things stagnated shortly after it began and by the end of 2017, the area sat silent. Still, according to the website “Occupancy is begins in June 2018”. I fail to see how anyone would live here by June 2018 but new drivers, dog walkers and joggers often make use of the roads.
2018 Update: The newest developer has also apparently backed out. The website advertising this place is no longer online and the office in town has shut down. The signs are still in place on the lot but it looks like things are in a holding pattern again.
2019 Update: Finally, some movement on this property - at least on paper. Reports recently (As of August) state that Buy-Low Foods has intentions of constructing a newer, bigger grocery store on this property than the existing AG Foods just west of here. Who knows what will happen to the old AG Foods building if this deal is to go forward, but there have been rumors that the library may move into that building once vacated.
2020 Update: Buy-Low foods has made good progress on a new grocery store.