LAKE OF BAYS — The rapid-fire sale of two islands now slated for development has prompted the Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation (LOBHF) to consider stockpiling funds for future action.
“The hottest topic on the lake this year, other than the rain and the bugs, was the status of two large islands — Langmaid’s and Fairview,” said vice-president Judith Mills, while reporting to membership at the foundation’s annual general meeting in Baysville on Aug. 19.
She said Langmaid’s Island, which had roughly 140 acres of almost undeveloped natural habitat and landscapes, came to market with a $15 million price tag.
“We have no control over when a landmark property will come up for sale, and in this case, the sales process was very fast,” she said. “We were caught off guard by the willingness of the vendor to drop the price so quickly and by so much. As a result, it has now been sold to a developer.” A murmur rippled through the audience.
“This is a reminder of an inconvenient truth — to respond on short notice to an opportunity of this size, we need to have a far bigger land conservation fund,” said Mills. “A fund of the size needed to purchase Langmaid’s Island would take a number of years to build. But, we should think seriously of the value of starting that now — there will be other opportunities in time.”
She encouraged donations.
The foundation, she noted, together with the Lake of Bays Association(LOBA), was monitoring the status of the island.
“Fortunately, the developer’s planner has been encouraged to reach out to interested groups and the foundation has held initial discussions,” she said. “We’re encouraging the planner to undertake public engagement and consultation.”
She also noted the island has special consideration in the municipality’s official plan and is labelled a Muskoka heritage area by the District of Muskoka. The foundation, she said, is also monitoring the sale of Fairview Island in Lake of Bays, which has a purchase agreement conditional on a Town of Huntsville zoning amendment, which would flip the island from residential to commercial and allow for the development of a corporate retreat.
“Public meetings have revealed major opposition to changes in zoning. The foundation and LOBA are strongly opposing that change,” said Mills. “We anticipate the request to be presented to the Huntsville planning and development committee in September. And we plan to be there.”
The vice-president noted in her report that the foundation — a land trust mandated to engage in the protection of natural, built and cultural legacy for the enjoyment and benefit of current and future generations on Lake of Bays — had a record-high number of members at more than 700.
The foundation owns roughly 170 acres of continuous land on the Lower Oxtongue River and about 6.5 kilometres of shoreline, raising more than $250,000 in 2017 used for property purchases and mortgage payments.
Mills added Ontario Land Trust Alliance has also selected the foundation as one of five land trusts to participate in a land acquisition priority initiative to digitally map areas of potential interest for conservation and preservation.
