ELORA – Highland Pines Campground is looking to expand its campsite land footprint.
At a public meeting on Nov. 25, campground planning representative Valerie Schmidt of GSP Group said the campground on Lake Belwood is looking to change its lands at 8480 Wellington Road 19 from agricultural to campground exception.
Highland Pines, located at 8523 Wellington Road 19, was built out in three phases. Phases one and two have been built out and phase three has received approval but has not yet been built out. It will include 200 more sites. By approving the bylaw amendment Highland Pines would move 50 of those 200 sites yet to be built onto the lands currently zoned agricultural.
“They’re just going to provide I think 24% larger campsites than what they have now,” Schmidt said. “So it’s not significantly larger but it would provide a little bit more privacy for future campgrounds.”
Highland Pines has about 4,000 people on site each day on the weekend when it’s open, Schmidt said.
“There are no comparable competitors in the area,” she said. “Highland Pines is built for the middle class income bracket who can’t afford to have that cottage but want to escape the city as we become more urbanized.
“All the visitors … that Highland Pines attracts, it contributes towards the local economy and creates employment opportunities and over the years that they’ve been operating in this area there’s never been an issue or an interference with farming in the area.” No members of the public spoke on the amendment. Council will make a decision at a future meeting.
