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The first new development in Blue Mountain Village in almost two decades will soon break ground. Part hotel, part weekend getaway, part year-round residence, Freed Blue Mountain is bringing five storeys and 196 units, along with 18,000 square feet of retail space, to the Ontario ski resort in Grey County.
This project is the latest from luxury real estate developer Freed Developments, owners of a suite of resort properties including Deerhurst Resort, Muskoka Bay Resort and Horseshoe Resort. For Freed president Corey Shepherd, Blue Mountain felt like a natural addition to the roster.
“It’s got ski hills, a golf course and all this beautiful land surrounding it, just a couple of hours from Toronto,” says Shepherd. “It’s all there. We’re really just enhancing it by building more homes.”
Freed acquired the Blue Mountain site in 2021, at the height of the pandemic.
“A lot of people — myself included — were finding a new perspective on life,” says Shepherd of the lockdown days. “There was a growing appreciation for work-life balance and being outdoors, and there were also a lot of new people working from home.”
The Freed team decided it was time to expand their portfolio outside of the city. Blue Mountain Village, with its dearth of new developments and steady flow of tourists, seemed like an ideal location.
“There’s already millions of dollars of infrastructure there,” says Shepherd of the existing shops, restaurants and bars adjacent to the new project’s site, currently a large parking lot at the entrance of the community. The last major residential upgrade brought to the village — The Westin Trillium House hotel residence — was built in 2005.
Freed worked with a variety of local stakeholders, including the Blue Mountain Village Association and Alterra Mountain Company, which owns and runs the slopes.
“We really wanted to hear what works and what doesn’t in a building from the locals who know Blue Mountain,” says Shepherd. “We’re all partners at the end of the day.”
The site’s ground floor will feature 18,000 square feet of retail space that will extend what Shepherd refers to as a “race track” of shops and establishments that runs through the village.
Amenities are designed with a resort vibe in mind and include a large fitness centre, ski and snowboard lockers, a suite of multipurpose rooms, private underground parking and a rooftop pool with a serviced bar and views of the hills.
“The rooftop pool is going to be a pretty hot spot for the après ski scene,” says Shepherd.
There are two ownership models for the project. About 20 percent of owners will be able to occupy their units year-round. The rest will be operated as a rental pool — owners can use their suites 120 days per year and book the units for when they need them, and the rest of the time management rents them out like a hotel.
“The owners are still the owners. They pick their own finishes, they can stay there when they want, but it’s also a professionally managed hotel,” explains Shepherd, who says he expects the majority of owners will use their suites for weekend getaways.
The suites have been overseen by DesignAgency and every unit is fully furnished by Restoration Hardware, a new partnership for Freed.
“It’s going to be a lot of natural wood materials. We want to emphasize the surrounding natural environment,” Shepherd says.
Project architects B+H have designed a rolling roofline that echoes the Blue Mountain hills in the background.
“We want to complement the scenery, rather than disrupt it,” says Shepherd.
Sales launched November 16, with occupation estimated for 2028.
“We’ve got a number of sites there,” says Shepherd. “This is the start of a new wave of Freed projects at Blue Mountain.”
Suites range from 350 to 1,350 square feet with prices starting in the $600s. For more information, visitFreedbluemountain.ca.
Three Things
Executive Chef Francis Bermejo of Mother Tongue Blue Mountain blends Filipino flavours with a range of Asian and North American influences to come up with fusion mainstays like a Korean wagyu smash burger and General Tao bao. 166 Jozo Weider Blvd.
Located on the Southern Shore of Georgian Bay, the spectacular strip of rocky beach at Craigleith Provincial Park is composed of fractured sheets of shale covered in 450-million-year-old fossils. 209403 Highway 26
When you tire of the Village, head to the eclectic Mad Dog’s Vinyl Café record shop on nearby Collingwood’s charming main drag for vintage Billie Holiday, Smashing Pumpkins or a drink in the lounge. 239 Hurontario St.