Early in 2021 there will be some action to move forward with a proposed residential development on the former Victoria school property.
There is one building still standing on the 400 Maple Street property. The brick structure, referred to as the annex for the school, was deemed of “cultural heritage interest” by council at the end of 2019 through the passing of a designation bylaw.
Collingwood’s first brick school was built on the site in 1884 and the annex was added in 1895. It is still standing though the original school building was demolished in 1969. The property was owned by Simcoe County until 2004 when it was sold to private developers.
The property has changed ownership several times with each proposing a residential development on site.
Because of the bylaw in place, changes to the existing building will require written consent from council and heritage attributes such as the stone foundation, gables, and original door openings will have to be preserved by the builder.
This year the property changed hands. Georgian International, the developer behind Windfall in The Blue Mountains, announced its intention to purchase the site and heritage building to council in July.
On a proposed development application, the owner is listed as Maple Street Limited Partnership, care of Georgian Communities.
The current owners are proposing 19 residential units for the site including four single-detached and 10 semi-detached homes. The developer plans to keep the existing annex building and split it into two homes. The developer also plans to build a coach house, which will include three townhouse units.
The town is hosting a virtual public meeting for the application on Jan. 25 at 5 p.m. via Zoom..
Currently, the town’s zoning designation on the property allows for the full 19 units, but the developer is requesting permission for smaller lot sizes and a higher maximum lot coverage.
The development application, as well as subsequent studies and plans for stormwater management, urban design, servicing, heritage impact, geotechnical investigations, tree inventory, and landscaping, are available on the town website here.
