Big things are happening on a little lake in southern Muskoka. Big things in the form of 60 new upscale waterfront cottages coming to a 53-acre Sparrow Lake development site.
The expansive project was imagined by RAM Development Group, a Toronto-based company known for its development of housing and recreational properties in the GTA, Florida, and the Caribbean. This project is the company's first foray into the Ontario cottage country market, and is also set to be one of the largest — and most luxurious — waterfront developments in the region.
The project, dubbed Luna Bay, received approvals from the Town of Gravenhurst in January of this year. Planned for the 1,600 ft strip of waterfront are 60 three-storey townhouse units, all identical in size and offering three-bedrooms with the ability to become four-bedroom units. At the heart of the property will be a rec centre, outdoor in-ground pools, and a restaurant open to the public. The units, which range in price from $1.6M to $1.7M, and the surrounding property, are designed with renting in mind, with the goal being to make owning a cottage more attainable.
Rec centre and poolsRendering via RAM Development Group
Principal of RAM Development Group, Russell Jacobson, told STOREYS that the project was inspired by a style of ownership popular in the Caribbean where people who own condos, but only visit for part of the year, have them looked after and rented out on their behalf by on-site management. “In Muskoka, we felt the same needs occurred, where you have people who own cottages who frankly don’t want to use them every weekend [..] or want to go to the cottage and relax and enjoy themselves,” i.e., not have to worry about fixing a septic tank or dealing with a wasp infestation.
The idea is that would-be buyers who are turned off of cottage ownership due to high costs and maintenance hassles — incurred only to spend a few weeks out of the year there — will have all their worries assuaged by on-site maintenance and management staff who keep their homes clean, habitable, and generating income. "It offers the opportunity for someone to own something that they otherwise couldn’t afford, or perhaps thought just didn't make sense to invest in when it’s not being used year round, by allowing you to use your cottage to generate income," says Jacobson.
And it's not just upscale cottages and rental management services that owners will get to enjoy, it's a sweeping compound with its own security and "buckets full" of amenities, as Jacobson put it. He's not kidding... Free and open to residents will be an in-ground, year-round outdoor pool, saunas, pickle ball, tennis, and basketball courts, a golf simulator, indoor gym, and access to non-motorized watercraft. Plus, at an extra cost, in-suite spa services, such as massages and facials, will be available. In total, indoor and outdoor amenity space will equate to around 20,000 sq. ft.
Sandy beach and playgroundRendering via RAM Development Group
On top of that, the property is home to a network of walking and snowmobile trails and, down by the water, a 200 ft sandy beach with a children's playground and a dock with 44 boat slips. Also, open to residents and the public will be a first-class restaurant, which Sparrow Lake cottagers can enjoy after parking their boat in one of the many slips.
The units themselves were designed by ATA Architects with Muskoka's stunning natural landscape in mind. Jacobson used the words “Nordic zen” to describe the design approach. "We thought a lot about how to combine modern design with nature, because people go to cottages to feel close to nature," he says. "So we included the Scandinavian peaked roofs and exposed pine wood, to create a very relaxed, quiet, luxurious feel.”
Rendering via RAM Development Group
Primary bedroomRendering via RAM Development Group
Each unit has two private balconies and a front patio at grade, with large floor-to-ceiling windows defining the space. The homes were also designed with renters in mind as each unit has two closets — one that locks for owners to keep belongings, and another that stays open for guests. “We’ve really thought of everything and learned what works from our experiences to make it feel like a resort, and yet to be a home for the owners," says Jacobson.
Once completed, the proposed project will be truly vast, both in size and in detail, and it could represent an intriguing new approach to cottage ownership.
Countless cottage owners have hopped on the rental income train in recent years in pursuit of covering costs, but few developments offer an in-house management service that takes care of bookings for you. Not to mention the fact that, unless you're Drake, your Muskoka cottage likely doesn't have its own in-ground pool, saunas, golf simulator, and cleaning services.
“Owners can just get in their car and leave, and not worry about doing the laundry or mopping the floors, making every trip feel like a fresh vacation," Jacobson told STOREYS. And yet, Luna Bay will feel like a home away from home, says Jacobson. "I myself own this type of property, and you feel it’s your home, it’s never just a hotel, you build a community there."
