in Chatsworth, Grey Highlands, Southgate, West Grey
August 15, 2024
BY SOUTHGREY.CA STAFF — Owners of the former Talisman Resort property Brian Ellis and Phil Calvano say they are "moving closer towards bringing the vision of a state-of-the-art Health and Wellness community to the beautiful Beaver Valley." After 10 years of little visible progress towards their goal, Ellis and Calvano claim to have been working hard and listening to many within the community and various ideas and thoughts for the former Talisman site. "We are pleased to to advise that the Zoning By-law Amendment application for 150 Talisman Mountain Drive (the former Talisman Resort site) in the Municipality of Grey Highlands has been submitted to the Town."
"In an effort to ensure that our vision is right for the community, we have attended all the community meetings in order to better understand the needs of all stakeholders and concerned individuals specifically in relation to the former Talisman Resort lands," said Ellis. "Our team led by KLM Planning Partners has produced a plan that we are very proud of, and one that will completely revitalize the former Talisman to become the province's premier Health and Wellness Hotel and Nordic spa."
According to the developers, the proposed community will allow for thousands of visitors, both local and international, each year to enjoy the scenic and serene Beaver Valley and to improve their health, both physically and mentally while they stay and play in nature. The plan is entirely separate of controversial plans previously submitted by the Beaver Valley Development Group for the upper and lower properties that abut the former Talisman Resort property — plans which aspire to construct significant housing in the valley and are still before Grey County and Grey Highlands municipal planners for further scrutiny.
The Ellis/Calvano plan claims to address intensification by repurposing a very small part of the Beaver Valley — the former Talisman resort lands — which is now old buildings and a gravel parking lot. The Group promises that this revised development will be completed without disrupting any environmentally sensitive lands. "The unique design which has been developed with internationally renowned architect Paul Raff, blends the community into the contours of the existing landscape causing minimum interruption to the site," said Ellis. "The parking for approximately 900 vehicles which will include plug ins for electric vehicles, will be completely hidden from view and replaced with over five acres of dynamic greenspace, adding more natural environment — not less — to the community. Green rooftops and planned natural building exteriors will blend with the environment in a manner unmatched anywhere in Ontario."
The submission includes the plan for a new Condo-Hotel and one of the largest Nordic Spas in North America. The hotel is sized to accommodate the scope and capacity of the Nordic Spa and the amenities associated with it, including restaurants, convention space, treatment areas, gym, large tropical indoor pool and solarium, among many other amenities.
If the plan is approved, the Talisman Health and Wellness community is positioned to become a Provincial landmark. According to the developers, "it will create hundreds of direct, permanent and part-time jobs and many more indirect jobs producing an enormous amount employment, tourism income and much needed property tax dollars while maintaining an environmentally sensitive approach to development. With this over 400 million dollar development, Beaver Valley will become the premier Health and Wellness destination for Ontario and beyond."
Upon receiving the initial comments from the Municipality, Ellis and Calvano will bring their team together to review and present their shared vision to the public. The group claims that they will continue with an inclusive approach to responsible and sustainable development which they believe will greatly enhance the Beaver Valley by reinvigorating a now dormant development site in a way that is sensitive to the environment and to the future of the residents of Grey Highlands.
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