Back to SearchTown Awards RFP to Stonebridge Building Group
“Council is very pleased to welcome Stonebridge Building Group to the table, to work with the Town and Sunray Group of Hotels, to reinvent our downtown commercial area and beachfront. Learning from our past experience, Council is confident that we are further ahead today than we have ever been. Sometimes you need to take one step back to get two steps ahead. Stonebridge has a solid track record, they are invested in our community, and most importantly – they understand Council’s vision and the significance of this project for our full-time residents. We’re thrilled to be moving forward with this impressive team that is eager to do something amazing for Wasaga Beach, and committed to getting shovels in the ground quickly.” – Mayor Brian Smith
WASAGA BEACH – The Town of Wasaga Beach has awarded an RFP to redevelop part of the Town’s iconic downtown and beachfront commercial area to Stonebridge Building Group. The RFP covers the portion of Town-owned property at Beach Area One between 1st and 3rd Street.
Mayor Brian Smith made the announcement during today’s regularly scheduled Council meeting. During the meeting, Council directed staff to move forward and negotiate terms and conditions for the sale of the Town-owned beachfront parcels of land between 1st Street and 3rd Street with Stonebridge Building Group, which would include important details up-front, including project timelines:
- Negotiations are expected to move quickly because many of these details have already been addressed through the RFP process.
- Public feedback gathered earlier this year through public meetings and design workshops organized by the Town and FRAM Building Group will also be used to help inform Stonebridge Building Group’s design process. This public input has already supported and shaped the designs and plans presented by Sunray Hotel Group, which were shared at a public meeting on June 20, 2024.
In his remarks, Mayor Smith commented that Council is thrilled to welcome Stonebridge Building Group to the project. The company has been actively investing and building in the Town of Wasaga Beach for over 20 years. Almost ten years ago, Stonebridge Building Group contributed $75,000 towards the development of Town’s current Beachfront Redevelopment Master Plan. At that time, this investment was leveraged with investments by the Town and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism.
Stonebridge Building Group’s portfolio of work includes several commercial and residential developments in the Town of Wasaga Beach. The mixed-use, commercial and residential nature of the Town’s Downtown Redevelopment Master Plan is an important part of what will make the project successful.
Stonebridge Building Group is also a well-known corporate citizen and sponsor of local projects and festivals that support the arts and culture, including the annual Wasaga Beach Blues Festival, Memories of Summer, the Town’s first annual Breaking the Ice Music Festival, and more.
Other ways the company has given back to the community include:
- building a home in Wasaga Beach with Habitat for Humanity;
- investing in mobi-mats, in partnership with the Town and Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, to help make the Town’s beachfront more accessible;
- providing space for the Wasaga Society of the Arts in Stonebridge’s Wasaga Beach office.
Next steps for the Beachfront Redevelopment Project include the Town entering into partnership agreements with Stonebridge and Sunray Group of Hotels. Staff are expected to bring these to Council for approval before the end of 2024.
Construction activity is expected to begin in spring 2025.
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
Andrew McNeill, CAO, Town of Wasaga Beach
“If we build a community where our full-time residents want to live, work and play year-round – together with our magnificent beachfront – we will attract the investment, fun and high-value tourists we need to become a more resilient community year-round.”
Mark Crowe, President, Stonebridge Building Group
“Stonebridge Building Group understands the significance of this project for the Town of Wasaga Beach. I am confident that we are the right partners to get it done. We believe this project must be designed with the history and DNA of the community front and centre. We know it must balance beauty and functionality with sustainability. That’s what Stonebridge is committed to doing for the Town and citizens of Wasaga Beach. We’re excited to get started.”
BACKGROUND
About the Town of Wasaga Beach’s Downtown Redevelopment Project
The Town of Wasaga Beach’s beachfront redevelopment project focuses on the beachfront commercial area around Beach Drive. The economic spinoffs will benefit the entire Town of Wasaga Beach and Province. It is being guided by public input and the Town’s existing, approved Downtown Development Master Plan, which outlines the following metrics that will be used to measure its positive impact on the Town:
- direct jobs created
- new visitors annually
- % increase in overnight stays
- increase in spending
- increase in non-residential municipal taxes collected by the municipality
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Media contact:
Sandra Watts
Director of Strategic Communications & Intergovernmental Affairs
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