Lakeside condos in Fenelon Falls

For two decades, Doug Gray and his partners at MDM Developments have been quietly filling a market niche outside of the GTA with midrise condo buildings in small towns such as such as Tottenham, Gravenhurst and Creemore.

MDM’s newest launch, Fenelon Lakes Club, is in Fenelon Falls. Home to 2,500 permanent residents, the town has been dubbed the “Jewel of the Kawarthas,” and includes the 43-metre-long Lock 34 of the Trent-Severn Waterway.

“We built a small condo there seven or eight years ago and the sales reps we worked with called us and said, ‘We can’t pry people out of your condos and we need more,’ ” Gray says. “Covid opened people up a little more to realizing there is life outside of Toronto condos. Waterfront developments are definitely becoming more popular and this is 90 minutes from Toronto.”

It’s also just 25 minutes from Lindsay, the business and commerce hub for the City of Kawartha Lakes.

Fenelon Lakes Club, set on Cameron Lake in the heart of the town, includes two midrise buildings with 66 condos (1,000-1,300 sq. ft.) plus waterfront and bungalow townhomes (1,400-2,500 sq. ft.) priced from the mid-$700,000s to just under $2 million.

Balconies will be angled to give each unit a view of the water. Interiors are open and modern. Occupancy is scheduled for next year.

Fenelon Lakes Club includes a resort-style clubhouse with fitness facilities, fire pit and pool, plus dock and boathouse for non-motorized water sports.

The development has highspeed internet to facilitate working from home.

“It’s a smaller development, but bigger for Fenelon Falls,” says Gray. “Most of our developments have the support of mayor, council and residents as we try to stay downtown and use existing services. This development adds to the fabric of the town and doesn’t change it.”

Fenelon Falls has boutique shops, unique restaurants, a winery and craft brewery, as well as pharmacies, hardware and grocery stores. The 85-km Victoria Rail Trail that links Kinmount to Lindsay runs through the town and is popular with walkers, runners and cyclists.