Cottage “bees” must be able to live with the rest of the hive
Administrator | Aug 02, 2011 | Comments 5
Re: Toronto Star article featuring Sandbanks Summer Village
As a property owner on East Lake, I have watched with interest the evolution of the Cottage Advisor development. I recently read the article featured in the New Homes section of the Toronto Star entitled “Cottaging with a twist”.
I do understand that the Sandbanks Summer Village is a business and advertising and promotion are necessary to attract potential owners. From the article, I see that preferred clients are characterized as “liking action” and not sitting in the wilderness hearing a loon.
For many of the remaining residential residents along the lake we do enjoy that wilderness experience with loons, swans, deer, foxes, snakes etc. that populate the landscape…for now.
We can only hope that Mr. Hall’s use of the word “active” means that his clients will be frequenting all the cultural and tourist establishments that the County has to offer and NOT partying, trashing and disrupting the scenic beauty of the area.
The “bee hive” community Mr. Hall envisions cannot work in isolation of the other established community of East Lake.
Mary Jane Southorn
Filed Under: Letters and Opinion
Brian,
How short is your memory?
I have directed your crews to limit the large construction equipments hours of operations based on your request.
In addition, after speaking with other neighbors, we halted the work on the rest of the roadways until fall instead of completing them now. This was in recognition that the construction was affecting their business.
We are working hard to be good neighbors and will continue to do so. Speaking of being a good neighbor, have you solved your septic bed issue? As a neighbor, I would like to know.
Obviously, Mr. Conway has never attempted winter construction. And if you (and others) didn’t want that development going in on that property, you should have bought it when it was up for sale.
Chip Hall says that “it is hard to be successful in one’s business if you are always focused on someone else’s.”
It is difficult for people on East Lake not be painfully aware of Mr. Hall’s business.He has hoe-rams hammering away at that good solid County rock and making gravel so much of the time. Yes we all hear it- a real destruction of rural peace- which is not good for cottages on East Lake.
It would be wonderful if Mr. Hall gave even the slightest focus to other people’s businesses. Then he might try to be a good neighbour by limiting the appalling noise during tourist season
What I meant by using the word “active” is that our clients want access to amenities. These amenities are not just relegated to our property but within the greater community. The County is currently and has been a vacation destination for decades and because of that, the amenities and business have been built in support of it. Remote cottage locations do not have the vacation destination infrastructure, so people are just buying a cottage on a remote piece of land, not buying into a resort community.
With regards to the “filthy rich” comment by the person commenting. Our company is making a large, long term investment in the County. We allow vacationers to own and take pride in being in the County, not just visiting and leaving it. I have always said that it is hard to be successful in one’s business if you are always focused on someone else’s.
So true! The County does seem to be changing, thanks to investors who, because they bring cash, are permitted to redefine it.
But who cares about 250 years of history? Who cares about generations who struggled here to find something they could sell to bring in survival money? The modern reality is “Let’s find a way to tart up whatever’s here so we can permanently sell it off and get filthy rich!”