Friday Harbour
Friday Harbour Location within Southern Ontario
Location	Innisfil, Ontario
Nearest major city	Barrie, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates	44°23′32″N 79°31′48″W / 44.39222°N 79.53000°W / 44.39222; -79.53000
Status	Operating
Website	www.fridayharbour.com

Friday Harbour is a 600-acre^[1] mixed-use development in Innisfil, Ontario, Canada, 70 km north of Toronto. Built by the Geranium Corporation,^[2] the development contains residential, commercial, and recreational spaces, including a marina and golf course. Situated on Lake Simcoe's Big Bay Point, the resort's focal point is a 1000 slip in-land marina, the largest of its kind in Canada.^[1] Once construction is complete there will be 2600 residential units, a 400-room hotel,^[3] and a theatre.^[4]

Envisioned as a New Urbanist village, Friday Harbour was designed to be an alternative to the traditional residential offerings of Ontario's cottage country, which are typically single-family homes located on or near a body of water. In this design, the connection to the water and nature would be maintained, but the dependence on driving over walking for daily necessities would be eliminated, or greatly reduced. DPZ CoDesign, the designers of Seaside, Florida, a notable early example of a New Urbanist development in North America, were brought on to design Friday Harbour.^[5]

The first residents took occupancy in 2017,^[6] along with the opening of the first restaurants and shops on the pedestrian promenade.^[7]

History

Big Bay Point, where Friday Harbour is located, first saw the arrival tourists in the 1800s. Long an area known to local indigenous population, early settlers constructed the first resort in this location, the Robinson House, in the mid-1880s. This was soon followed by the sixty-room, luxury Peninsular Park Hotel.

The front lawn of the Peninsular Park Hotel in 1910.

It become known as a popular destination for American tourists looking to experience the "wild" of the Canadian wilderness.^[8] The hotel burned down in 1955.^[9]

An inland marina called Big Bay Marina would eventually open in the area. Earl Rumm, a local resident and president of the real estate developer Geranium Corporation, brought his boat to be repaired at the marina. While there, he saw a sketch of an unrealized real estate development for the site hanging on a wall.^[5] This inspired him to pursue his own development of the Big Bay Marina. The first formal proposal for a resort at Big Bay Point was in 2002. It faced large opposition from homeowners in the area, including lawsuits.^[10]

After the development was approved by the Ontario Municipal Board in 2007,^[11] construction did not begin until 2011.^[12] Phase 1, which included the marina, nature preserve,^[12] and residential units,^[13] was completed in 2018.

Promenade

The area surrounding the marina is a pedestrianized zone known as the promenade. It is made up of restaurants, shops, a homeowners clubhouse with a gym and restaurant, and a visitor centre where boaters can refuel, shower, and purchase supplies.

View of the promenade, a pedestrian area in the resort with shops and restaurants.

Activities

Friday Harbour Resort offers a variety of activities for all seasons.^[15]

Golf course

The Nest Golf Club

The Nest golf course in October 2020
Club information
Coordinates	44°23′02″N 79°32′46″W / 44.3838683°N 79.5461486°W / 44.3838683; -79.5461486
Location	3800 Friday Dr Innisfil, Ontario L9S 3E1
Established	2018 (2018)
Type	Semi private
Owned by	Friday Harbour Resort
Total holes	18
Greens	Bentgrass
Fairways	Bentgrass
Website	www.fridayharbour.com/golf-the-nest
Designed by	Doug Carrick
Par	72
The Nest logo

Friday Harbour is home to The Nest Golf Club, an 18-hole golf course. The clubhouse features a pro shop and restaurant. During winter months, the course is open as a snowshoeing trail.

In 2019, The Nest received gold signature sanctuary certification from Audubon International for the club's work protecting the course's natural setting.^[16]

References

External links

• Official website