Work may be slow but is continuing on a development agreement between the Town of Collingwood and the proponents behind the Poplar Regional Health and Wellness Village.
During their Sept. 11 regular meeting of council, the town’s director of planning, building and economic development, Summer Valentine, provided an update to councillors on ongoing negotiations for a development agreement for the project.
“We’re at the stage where both the town and the proponents have reached consensus on the appropriate content for the companion development agreement,” said Valentine.
The Poplar Regional Health and Wellness Village proposal for 130 acres on the southeast corner of Poplar Sideroad and Raglan St. was first brought forward to Collingwood council in March 2022 by proponents Live Work Learn Play Inc. and Di Poce Management Ltd.
According to the initial vision for the project presented to council, there will be seven key areas incorporated into the design of the village including a regional health and wellness campus, a market district, long-term care/assisted living facilities, bio-science and medical research facilities, an eco-wellness centre, a regional transit hub, student and workforce housing and sports medicine clinics.
The proponents intended to seek a minister’s zoning order (MZO) — a controversial provincial tool to fast-track a change of zoning on a piece of land with provincial authority bypassing the municipal zoning process — to change the zoning of the property from industrial to mixed-use to allow for the community-hub-style development.
On Nov. 10, 2022, Collingwood council voted to officially endorse an MZO for the project.
The decision didn’t come without controversy, with then-new Mayor Yvonne Hamlin quickly calling a meeting of the newly inaugurated council on Nov. 16, 2022 to revert back to an “in-principle” endorsement of an MZO for the Poplar project until the town and the developer had a signed agreement in place to ensure that what the developer was promising is what will be built on the lands at Poplar and Raglan Streets.
However, the day after the meeting occurred and the new council voted to press pause, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced they had approved the MZO application on Nov. 16.
Following that announcement, Hamlin said work would continue with the developer to come up with a final development agreement for the project.
On July 24 following an in-camera discussion on specifics, council voted to allow town staff to execute a development agreement. During that meeting, councillors alluded to the difficulty of negotiations.
“The agreement does include the incorporation of the final negotiation points that resulted from council’s most recent in-camera direction and the town has also received the majority of the funds that cover the outstanding third-party costs primarily related to legal and consulting fees,” said Valentine on Monday.
Once the fees are paid, Valentine said the next step would be for both parties to execute the agreement. Valentine noted the proponent has also provided feedback through the Official Plan process.
