The Evolution of Florence Street

It’s thrilling to see our plans for the micro-community on Florence street evolve over time as local feedback is received and integrated.

Since the initial offer of land from the Town of Huntsville, the development concept has changed numerous times, from the first draft of 40 affordable homes for purchase alongside a single G.R.E.A.T. sixplex, to a much more ambitious plan on a larger property with room for with room for at least two G.R.E.A.T. sixplexes plus another 149 units, many of them purpose-built rental housing.

Our conversations with the District of Muskoka, Town of Huntsville, potential funding partners like Kawartha Credit Union and CMHC, and local organizations working in anti-poverty, housing, business, environmental, and disability services continue to shape the design of this and future initiatives to better suit the needs of the local community.

Thanks to these open, collaborative discussions, the original idea to start with townhouses designed for affordable home ownership has been flipped, and the current concept prioritizes construction of townhouses, two multi-unit buildings, and two G.R.E.A.T. six plexes, all designed for rental housing. If you’ve seen a copy of the draft business plan that was published by the Doppler on October 26th, it’s already out of date!

Draft site concept as of November 2023

We expect to have similarly collaborative conversations with conservation groups, low carbon builders, and ecologists as we navigate the tough choices of trying to alleviate the housing crisis while working hard to reduce our impact on the climate crisis. It’s hard to choose the best path, but we’re hopeful that we can find net positive solutions in Muskoka even as we build housing in place of some of the re-forested space on Florence Street.

As we wait to hear the staff report from the Town of Huntsville on options for transferring the land, our board and committee members are working very hard to secure pre-development funding that will allow us to move to the next phase of the initiative, which will involve building a team of civil engineers, architects, and land use planners to develop final designs for the buildings and for the site itself.

We are committed to designing this micro-community to meet the housing needs in Huntsville, and are tremendously encouraged by the enthusiastic engagement and collaboration from the community so far.

We want to hear from everyone in the community that has suggestions, concerns, comments, or questions. Please send yours (and tell your neighbours to send theirs) to: florence-street [at] muskokaclt.org.