The city of Barrie may have earned a reputation as a fast-growing community, but its northern neighbour has joined the race.

Midland, a town of approximately 10,000 in 1980, currently has a population closer to 17,000 and residential developments in the works promising homes for more that 2,500 new families.

Bryan MacKell, the town's planning and development director, says he and his counterparts in neighbouring municipalities are seeing "a lot of developers and contractors new to the area."

He attributes this unusual situation to the new provincial planning polices, the greenbelt and limitations on growth areas to the south. Innisfil, for example, has "problems with infrastructure" he says, referring to a lack of sufficient sewer and potable water for extensive new development. And he understands Barrie to be "planned to its corporate limits."

Although not necessarily a specifically identified growth area, MacKell acknowledges that Midland will become one through attrition. Other nearby areas experiencing similar developments are the town of Penetanguishene and the Tay township communities of Port McNicholl, Victoria Harbour and Waubaushene.

The trend, which also includes strong activity from the local construction and development community, says MacKell, "has been slowly building up in our municipality."

The waterfront area has been of particular interest, especially since the train rails were removed 10 years ago.

Since then, for example, the Trilet Group initiated the Tiffin By The Bay development with 700 dwelling units for waterfront single-family homes, and 218 condominium units between one 12-storey and one 16-storey apartment buildings.

MacKell says he anticipates a crescendo to be reached in the next three years.

In the meantime, Kaitlin Group, a resort developer, is expected to be putting up 600-waterfront condominiums around Bay Port Marina by the middle of next year.

Remington Homes will have 300-dwelling units, including 100 condominiums, available in a mid-rise building. Potential vendors will be invited to the GTA-style marketing office currently being set up.

This sales approach may be a wise strategy, because those who live and work in the Toronto area are exactly the market being sought, MacKell suspects. "Historically, much of the growth in the area is due to early retirees and those who are downsizing."

"The new developers will create a new market," he says, that is not only going to draw the empty nesters, but also people who are still in the work force.

He refers to those who may want to move out of Barrie and move a bit further north, those who use technology to work remotely from a home or satellite office, and the occasional or limited commuter who travels regularly to locations south of Simcoe County.

Two additional projects on Little Lake, these on the north side, will see 100 lots developed by Stollor Construction.

Smaller projects can also be seen throughout the community filling in undeveloped tracts of land.

All this growth dovetails quite nicely with the 1995 municipality-initiated Waterfront Plan entitled "Reclaiming the Edge" that was incorporated into the new Official Plan.

In concert with the increase in residential projects is a consistent rise in both industrial and commercial sectors as well.

Doral Boats, a sport-boat manufacturer, started production in January of this year, he cites as an example.

The town's outer limits continue to attract large corporate-owned big-box commercial development. "There has been a steady industrial/commercial growth in the last 25 years," said MacKell