Friday Harbour (Resort)

This article is about the mixed-use development in Ontario. For the town in Washington, see Friday Harbor, Washington. For other uses, see Friday Harbor.
Friday Harbour
Friday Harbour is located in Southern Ontario
Friday Harbour
Friday Harbour
Location within Southern Ontario
LocationInnisfil, Ontario
Nearest major cityBarrie, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates44°23′32″N 79°31′48″W / 44.39222°N 79.53000°W / 44.39222; -79.53000
StatusOperating
Websitewww.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]

  1. ^ a b Rob Cooper, "Massive marina at Friday Harbour nearly complete", CTV News, 4 August 2015
  2. ^ Sydnia Yu, "Builder promises more calm, less commute", The Globe and Mail, 22 March 2013
  3. ^ Lucy Lynch, "The Hamptons of Toronto: Cottage-Condo Suburbanization and Implications for Public Space", Canadian Journal of Urban Research, Summer 2019
  4. ^ Miriam King, "Friday Harbour Resort seeking to lift occupancy restrictions", Barrie Today, 10 June 2020
  5. ^ Tracy Hanes, "Dream team designing Friday Harbour resort village on Lake Simcoe", The Toronto Star, 27 August 2012
  6. ^ Janis Ramsay, "Five accomplishments from Innisfil council this term", Hamilton News, 18 September 2018
  7. ^ Rob Cooper, "‘Friday Harbour’ Resort holds mass hiring in preparation for spring opening", CTV News, 13 January 2017