'Respect paradise': Martin Short among ratepayers angry over proposed subdivision near his Ontario summer home

Councillors in Seguin town seem dual-lane o'er whether to grant a residential development proposed for a parcel of Muskoka behind a series of waterfront cottages on Ontario's Lake Rosseau that include the summer home of Canadian comedian-actor Martin Short.

The 49-lot proposed subdivision, called Rosseau Springs, is sketched out for 108 hectares surrounding the site of the former Maplehurst Lodge, which burned down in 1917.

The proposed subdivision is west of Rosseau, and lots would front on the Maplehurst Drive and Summit Drive extension. The developer is also proposing a new road off Highway 632 to access it.

A website about the proposed development promises that three-quarters of the site would be kept natural.

None of the proposed lots has water frontage.

The parcel in question is designated by Seguin Township as “rural and resource,” which limits development, and some of it is zoned as environmentally protected.

In a report presented to council, township staff recommend against modifying the zoning bylaw and overriding the township's strategic plan to allow the subdivision to proceed.

“It is our opinion that the applications are not consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement and will not conform to the Township of Seguin Official Plan,” according to the staff report.

However, in their presentation to Seguin Township council, the developers made the case for the subdivision as a necessary and logical way to develop the area. It "offers a strategic solution" to the township’s housing needs, according to their land need assessment.

“It supports both market demand for year-round residences and the economic stability of local businesses. The project will contribute to a healthy residential land supply and provide an opportunity for sustainable growth, potentially making it a critical piece of the township’s future planning.”

Planning consultant Leo DeLoyde was hired by the developer to provide research and background studies for the proposal.

He said extensive environmental studies support the development, and an assessment shows there's a demand for housing from people who want to work or retire in the area and don't have access to lakefront properties.

"The proposal is not for what's called affordable housing," DeLoyde said. "So it'll be people that want to live and have the experience of living near Rosseau hamlet and using the services there, and those folks would build their own houses and enjoy the same amenities that the other people already in the area enjoy."

It would also be up to those who purchase the lots to install their own septic systems and drill wells.

The subdivision would require a new access road.

An earlier vote by council members was split, and it was agreed they'd defer a vote to July 6.

Coun. Gail Finsson is among those who oppose the development.

“We have settlement areas, so that development will happen where development needs to be so that we don't have, in the woods, in Seguin Township, people putting 49 buildings in there that can't be serviced."

The approved settlement areas are closer to the town and services, said Finsson, and ideally, future housing would include affordable homes or townhouses, not expensive homes on large lots further away from the village of Rosseau itself, as outlined in the Rosseau Springs proposal.

While the township's staff said the subdivision would lead to an increase in property tax revenue, they also cited increased costs to provide infrastructure, such as roads and maintenance.

Seguin Township Mayor Ann MacDiarmid said the subdivision proposal seems far-fetched at this point, with few details and no timeline.

“There is no plan of what I call a “plan of subdivision” which will show me what the houses or the infrastructure will look like,” she said.

“The company behind Rosseau Springs is planning to sell lots, and then the owner of the lot will go to find his own septic and road person, and an architect presumably, and a builder. So I have no idea what's coming.”

While staff raised no significant environmental concerns, MacDiarmid said she can’t imagine there wouldn't be any impact from development.

“We're nervous about the run-off,” she said. “It's a steep, steep hill and 49 homes which will dig roads, and septics and foundations. I don't know how you're going to prevent run-off ending up in Lake Rosseau.”

Short is among those speaking out about Rosseau Springs, citing environmental concerns.

The award-winning entertainer and writer has owned a summer home near the proposed subdivision for decades. He recently described his property ina Netflix documentary as what heaven would be like for him.

He said he and other seasonal property owners next to the development feel environment is key to making development decisions, and called the proposal "preposterous" and "silly."

Short thinks city staff have addressed the core of the issue.

“They are asking for responsible growth that reflects planning policy, that protects Rosseau’s character, and reflects the recommendations of professionals and the concerns of the community and people who are concerned about the environment."

It is not, he said, about preventing others from experiencing what he called the “jewel of Muskoka,” but rather about not spoiling it.

“I'm not saying that people shouldn't have a right to paradise, I agree with that, but you have to also respect paradise,” he said, and referred to the potential profit from selling the exclusive lots.

“It shouldn't be about someone saying yeah, but also look at the currency I can create.”

Short said he’s not sure what he’ll do if the council vote favours the developer.

“I have no concept of what I would do except I would be advised by my legal counsel of what I could do, and if I could do anything, I would try to stop it because it's wrong."

Council meets at 2:30 p.m. ET to address the matter.

Reporter/Editor

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