Welcome to the MLCA Muldrew Lakes Lake Plan website. Please find a copy of all lake plan materials distributed to date, as well as an outline of the Lake Plan process and important dates.

At the 2017 Annual General Meeting (AGM), members of the Muldrew Lakes Cottagers’ Association (MLCA) voted to initiate a review and update of the MLCA Lake Plan which was initially completed in 2009. The lake plan was comprehensive in nature, identifying issues and actions to address both stewardship and land use issues on the lakes. As a result of the plan, several Muldrew-specific policies and zoning provisions were incorporated into the Gravenhurst Official Plan (GOP) and Zoning By-Law. The lake plan was meant to be a "living document", which would be reviewed and updated every 5 years. Currently, the MLCA is addressing the review and update of the land use policies contained within the Gravenhurst Official Plan and Zoning By-law, with the intent of reviewing and updating the lake plan as a whole (including community stewardship initiatives) in the near future.

During the summer of 2020, EcoVue Consulting Services (a land use planning firm based in Peterborough) began Phase 1 of the project. This initial phase included three specific deliverables:

1. 2020 Survey (188 responses; distributed electronically and in paper format during the summer of 2020)

2. Town Hall (54 attendees; included two meetings held on Zoom in the fall of 2021)

3. Feasibility Report (with recommendations based on background research and community consultation)

Phase 1 of the project was concluded in the spring of 2021.

At the 2021 AGM, the membership voted to proceed with Phase II of the project. Phase II included the initial drafting of revisions and updates to the policies and provisions in the Gravenhurst Official Plan and Zoning By-Law based on the community consultation conducted during Phase I of the project. This first draft of the update was distributed in the 2022 Dock Drop to each residence/cottage on the Muldrew Lakes. Since this time, the MLCA has been collecting feedback from the community and released a second draft of the revised policies and provisions in November 2022. A Townhall event was also held in the fall of 2022 to present the 2nd draft and receive input from the community. The final component of Phase II was a survey which sought to collect feedback on detailed policies/provisions and focused on the most contentious issues to date (maximum building size and provisions for legal non-complying dwellings). The 2023 Survey was open until April 15, 2023 and since this time, the Lake Plan Committee has spent considerable time analyzing the survey results and preparing revisions resulting in the 3rd draft of the proposed lake plan policies. The detailed results of the 2023 Survey are available as well as a summary document.

Phase III of the process evolved during the summer of 2023 with the distribution of the 3rd draft to the community through the 2023 dock drop. A Town Hall was held on July 16, 2023 at 12:30 (at Memorial Pines & on Zoom) where the 3rd draft was presented followed by discussion and a Q&A. The lake plan committee reviewed all of the comments received and decided to recommend adjusting the maximum size (gross floor area) of a dwelling/cottage on the lake to be 4,000 sq ft (instead of the previous recommendation of 3,500 sq ft). The final draft is now being used to prepare applications for a Zoning By-law Amendment and Official Plan Amendment to the Town of Gravenhurst. The intent of these applications is to update/revise the Muldrew-specific sections of the Gravenhurst Official Plan and Zoning By-law to reflect the current values and vision of the community, as expressed throughout the lake planning process.