When Meaford Haven introduced its unique Three-Seasons retirement community concept a little more than a year ago, it generated a lot of excitement among businesses and people in the community. The interest among retirees and soon-to-be-retirees has been even more intense. For the last 12 months, prospective residents have actively engaged in a series of virtual focus groups. They’ve provided input, ideas and advice on just about every aspect of the community, including community design, architecture (exterior looks and interior features), garden plots, parking, volunteerism, the design of the community centre, and the merits of a business club.

But a few folks did share some concerns about the original draft concept plan. That plan diverted a watercourse that’s active a few months of the year so that it flowed into the main creek a little further upstream. Some nearby residents in the Ridge Creek subdivision wanted to retain the existing course.

Meaford Haven will be an intrinsic part of the Meaford community; making our neighbours unhappy is the last thing we want to do. So our design team went back to the drawing board. For nearly six months, they worked on redesigning the Meaford Haven retirement community, working with a fluvial geomorphologist (try saying that fast three times), to allow for the northerly watercourse.

The original plan took a lot of care to retain natural heritage, but during the revision, the planners also looked at ways to keep an even larger parcel of forest right in the middle of Meaford Haven. By moving the through road eastward, more of the forested area now remains undisturbed. The team has also surveyed all of the butternut trees on the property, including small saplings, and maintained setbacks to protect these trees. And a second road into the Ridge Creek subdivision to the east will diffuse traffic between Meaford Haven and downtown.

This was a big investment and it took a lot of time. We’d apologize for the delays to those of you are eager to see things moving, and who have expressed such interest in and goodwill toward our unique retirement community. But we think the new plan was worth the effort and expense, and we’re more keen and determined than ever to make this smalltown Ontario retirement community a vital part of Meaford.

Here’s your chance to learn more.. On Monday, May 14, Meaford Haven will bring the revised draft plan of subdivision to Meaford Council, and the public is invited to hear about the improvements and share their thoughts. This is a great chance to ask any questions you might still have about Meaford Haven. It’s also a chance to let Meaford know your feelings about this unique community project.

The public meeting starts at 5 p.m. at the Municipal Council Chambers on the 7th Line (#157859).

Once the draft plan of subdivision is approved, we can move on to the next stage of creating Meaford Haven. We’re looking forward to it.