Mayor Mitch Panciuk called it a “historic day” f0r the City of Belleville.
Council, at a special meeting Tuesday, unanimously supported an application to the province to speed up the process that would eventually lead to a huge $1.56 billion resort/residential/commercial development around the Black Bear Ridge Golf Course on Harmony Road.
It would be the largest development project in Belleville’s history.
The developers, Black Bear Ridge GP Inc., will now forward an application for a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) which will save time by bypassing public consultation on the zoning changes being requested. An MZO also cannot be appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
The provincial government had told the developers some time ago it needed council’s support before considering the application.
However, an MZO being issued would just be the first step in what would be a long planning process involving noise, traffic, environmental impact, and other studies, and public input will be part of the process leading up to an eventual draft plan of subdivision. The developers told council they will be setting up a formal public input process after receiving an MZO.
The Black Bear Ridge Village Resort would encompass 370 hectares of land (914 acres) and would feature mixed housing types from single family to townhouses to low-rise apartment buildings. The goal is to have affordable and seniors housing, both for rent and purchase, as part of the mix. At full build-out the Black Bear Ridge Resort Village could feature just over 3,000 residential units on municipal water/sewer services.
Plans include a resort, a hotel/motel, a clubhouse, cabins, and a spa and wellness centre along with bike paths and trails. Office space and retail/service shops would be also be a part of the development. It would be a four-season resort offering recreation opportunities year-round.
Remarkably, about 60% of the property will be left in its natural state as it’s environmentally protected.
The developers say if given final approval to go ahead it would take at least 20 years before it would be completed.
The owner’s representative Alex Sharpe said the resort would put Belleville on the map internationally, adding “it won’t be just known as the place north of Prince Edward County” anymore.
Economic spinoffs for the city and community would be massive should the project come to fruition. The planning and construction of the resort ($1.5 billion investment) would create almost 13,000 full-time or full-time-equivalent jobs and over $1 billion in value added to the economy. After the build it’s expected 580 new full-time jobs would be created to operate the businesses involved in the resort.
The city would receive over $45 million in development charge revenue and almost $18 million in property taxes each year.
It was stressed that existing taxpayers would not be paying any up-front costs, such as bringing water/sewer services up to the property, to make the development possible.
Mayor Mitch Panciuk says the development’s concept is excellent.
“You know this is going to be a complete community where everyone is part of it. This project benefits everybody in Belleville. It provides more housing, it provides more recreational amenities, it provides more free opportunities, it brings more services to a part of the city that we desperately need and it’s good on so many levels. It’ll be very, very difficult for people to find something to be unhappy about with this decision.”
Hastings-Lennox and Addington MP Shelby Kramp-Neumann appeared at the special council meeting saying the concept was very impressive and would bring a lot of benefits and would be “a real win for the community.”
Representing MPP Todd Smith, David Joyce said the Black Bear Ridge Resort Village would bring a variety of housing to the area at various price points, boost sustainable tourism, and bring more economic prosperity while protecting the natural environment.
“Rest assured that Minister Smith supports the concept and will support the approval of a Minister’s Zoning Order.”
Stan Bigford, representing the owners of the former Corby Distillery lands, said they’d been waiting for such a development in the area and were “excited about it.”
The Executive Director of the Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board Dug Stevenson could barely contain his enthusiasm for the plans saying it would make the Quinte region an international draw, both for tourists and permanent residents.
Although news of the project just became public this week, behind the scenes work has been underway for the past two years, involving the developers, the city, other government entities, and consultants.
Councillor Paul Carr reminded people that no one would be looking at such an expansive development if it hadn’t been for the investment and vision of the original owner of the Black Bear Ridge Gold Course, the late Brian Magee. Carr told the meeting he’d been taken on a tour of the property in a pickup truck by Magee 22 years ago.
“He wanted a world-class facility and from there he talked about having different facilities and some homes around the golf course and he long lobbied for water and sewer.”
See the entire project consultant’s report here.
