The GreeneStone property is currently zoned rural commercial and environmental protection, said senior planner for the township David Pink.

The rural zone permits the main uses of a hotel, motel, tourist resort and restaurant, and a number of accessory uses, including convenience store, golf course, retail store and personal service shop. A medical clinic is not a permitted use, said Pink.

The medical clinic has been in operation in the lower level of nine former accommodation units for some time, said Pink.

Coun. Brian Hare wondered what has been happening since the resort received the stop work order in March.

“We are now in September. What has been going on in that time period? Have they continued to be operating in non-compliance?” asked Hare.

Pink indicated the medical clinic has continued to operate.

“The applicant indicated from time to time that an application (for a rezoning) would be forthcoming and it finally did, after several months,” said Pink.

Planning staff and committee members are generally in favour of a medical clinic on the property.

“Official plan policies are quite supportive of innovative economic development opportunities in our rural area,” said Pink “Therefore staff is generally supportive of the application.”

Leon was scheduled to appear at the meeting and Pink hoped to hear more on the plans for the property.

“It would have been beneficial if the applicant was here. We would have preferred to hear that the use of the property would be principally a resort and that the medical clinic is an accessory to that,” said Pink.

The committee approved the application for circulation to neighbouring property owners. It will go to council for final approval.

Mayor Karen Ellis suggested the Ministry of Health and Ministry of the Environment should be contacted since the clinic is on a private septic system. She voiced concern about medical waste from the facility.

The 17-acre property currently has several hotel-style buildings, individual housekeeping units and amenity buildings housing a fitness room and restaurant. No development is proposed at the current time, said Pink.

When a zoning bylaw is changing the use of a building, all applicable zone requirements must be met, which includes a 50-foot setback from Muskoka Road 169 and the rear lot line in this case, said Pink.

The existing hotel building with the medical clinic is located approximately 18 feet from Muskoka Road 169 and 33 feet from the rear lot line, said Pink. The setbacks should be added as part of the application for circulation to the neighbouring properties.

In the meantime Leon is looking at how to make GreeneStone Muskoka a viable business.

People don’t take long vacations in Muskoka as they did in the past and resort owners have to look at new ways to attract business, said Leon.

“We decided to go after the health and wellness market,” he said.

Leon doesn’t see a problem with what some might refer to as the privatization of health care.

“There isn’t one hospital in Ontario or Canada that survives on the money provided by the government … they depend on charities to keep them operating,” said Leon.

Relying on charities is not public medicine, he added.

In the GreeneStone model the company will be paying for the health care of employees, which is permitted under the law, said Leon.

“There is a market for that. It is a fairly large market in the city and all we have done is taken some of the things done in the city and moved it up to Muskoka,” said Leon.

Once GreeneStone Muskoka is fully operational it could provide 20 to 25 full-time jobs, Leon said.