BURK’S FALLS – Doting the “i”s and crossing the “t”s may be all that is holding up what could become the biggest-ever commercial development in Almaguin.
“We’re really pleased with the progress we’ve made so far,” said development partner and local lawyer Derek Miller.
In an interview with the Almaguin News last week, Miller says he believes that he and his partners are getting very close to putting shovels in the ground to start a development at the south end of the Village of Burk’s Falls. It is expected to include a Loblaws grocery store and a Tim Hortons franchise.
Already Miller and his three other partners, his wife Carrie, lawyer Paul Scargall and his wife Caroline, have obtained all but one of the necessary permits to start construction on the ambitious project.
Amongst the approvals they have received are from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Environment for water and sewage services; the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) for access, signage and traffic control and the Village of Burk’s Falls and Armour Township for water and sewer services.
All that remains, says Miller and Armour Township, are the final details of a site plan control agreement.
“We’re just in the final stages of negotiating the site plan control agreement. As far as I can tell it’s just a matter of dotting the “i”s and crossing the “t”s. I think we are quite close,” said Armour Reeve Bob MacPhail.
Miller says he has confirmations in writing from Loblaws and Tim Hortons for standalone franchises. He believes the retailers will be anchors for the development adjacent to where the LCBO and valu-mart stores now operate.
“We think what will possibly happen is that people will start going to this centre instead of Huntsville or North Bay or Parry Sound and it will draw people from Magnetawan, Sundridge and say the Sprucedale areas,” said Miller.
He also believes the franchises will bring jobs. He reports that company officials from the two corporations have told him they will have significant staffing needs once operational. Tim Hortons has advised that they could need between 40 to 45 people to staff a store. Loblaws has said their new operation could require an additional 25 to 40 people.
“There will be a lot of employment created during the construction and lot of long-term jobs as well,” said Miller.
The Loblaws store is planned at the moment to be about 25,000 sq ft in size, initially.
Just what the Tim Hortons store could look like is up in the air, though Miller says he has been told it will include a drive through.
And while the store’s actual configuration is not settled, the fact it is coming is shaping other aspects of the development.
“Tim Hortons and similar style stores typically drive high levels of traffic. The MTO, as do we, want to make sure that traffic flow can be handled safely,” said Miller.
Officials from the MTO have said they would not allow a Tim Hortons or similar retail operation to open on the site until the southern Burk’s Falls interchange on Hwy. 11 is open. That is scheduled to happen later this year.
As well, to handle increased traffic, Commercial Drive itself is planned to be revamped with traffic lights and turning lanes to get on to and off of the existing Commercial Drive.
“We’re hitting the big leagues,” said MacPhail, with a chuckle. “Burk’s Falls is getting a traffic light.”
More seriously, MacPhail says the development, “is definitely going to show people from outside of the area that Burk’s Falls is growing and is a good place to invest.”
“I believe that our area will see an influx of people in the next few years and this development is going to be here to service their needs,” said Miller.
The developer is also hoping that other businesses, especially a gas station, will want to try and take advantage of the traffic created by a Tim Hortons.
“It has always been part of our plan to have some much needed gas pumps as part of the development,” said Miller.
Who operates those pumps has not bee secured, but Miller is confident they will be there.
What also may be there is also in discussion.
Miller says he and his partners have been in discussions with all sorts of businesses – from national retailers and fast food franchises to local business owners and entrepreneurs.
“We’re certainly interested in having a discussion with anyone interested in having some space,” said Miller.
One option for space could be in a plaza that Miller and his partners will be developing. Built in phases Miller says the plaza will be one or two large buildings catering to everything from retail outlets to professional business offices.
But at the moment the proposed development is still a field, though that could change quickly.
Tender packages are sitting, says Miller, in a state of semi-completion waiting for the site plan control agreement to be finalized allowing the tender documents to be finalized.
“Once that approval is obtained we want to have a pretty quick turn-around getting the tender process started,” said Miller.
Included in those tenders will be bringing water and sewer services from the Village of Burk’s Falls to the site in Armour Township and leveling the lot and putting in the road network off of Commercial Drive into the site.
Initially, at least, the doughnut and grocery franchises will be the first to construct.
Miller says that talk about a new OPP detachment becoming part of the development is still just talk with no firm information about when or if a move will be made from the existing station adjacent to the Commercial Drive-Hwy. 520 intersection.
“We would love the opportunity to bring a new OPP building to the area . . . and provide similar access to what the OPP already have to Hwy. 11,” said Miller.
However, conversations with the police forces headquarters in Orillia and the Ontario Realty Corporation haven’t turned up any promising leads that it could happen.
Also not coming to the develop in the near future is Miller’s nearby business, Ward Tim-Br Mart.
“It would certainly make sense as a business owner to move it there but . . .”
Miller goes on to explain that operating a law practice with two offices, handling negotiations and business plans with the development, managing the lumber/hardware store and parenting four children has him busy enough. “There’s a lot on our plate to try and do something about that now.”
No doubt how things shape up over the next few years there are big investments being made in Burk’s Falls on the Commercial Drive property. But how big?
“I don’t think it would be incorrect to report that there will be multiple millions of dollars invested into this property,” said Miller.
That’s good news for other reasons in Armour Township.
“With this commercial assessment, it is definitely going to help the bottom line for other ratepayers in the municipality,” said MacPhail.
Not that Armour council is counting the chickens from Miller’s eggs just yet.
“We haven’t been bean-counting. We’re looking at it from the economic impact rather than the actual tax dollars. What’s going to come is going to come,” said MacPhail.
The speed at which it is coming is surprising even the developers.
“We did not think that it would develop so quickly,” said Miller of his partners when they first considered purchasing the land bordered by highways 520 and 11. “We thought it would be a good piece of property to hold on to for a few years and either sell or develop later on.
“It quickly became clear to us that Tim Hortons and Loblaws wanted to be here and sooner than later.”
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