One of the hardest things many people do each year is close up their cottages. Now they can stay in the surroundings they love year-round.

A growing number of condo developments are springing up in cottage country areas such as Lake of the Woods, Gimli and Lac du Bonnet.

The target market for most of these ventures is baby-boomer cottage owners who are selling and want to live among nature, professionals looking for a place to escape to without upkeep, and residents who want to retire in a familiar setting.

The largest project in the works for Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario is The Headwaters in Kenora, a $50-million Qualico development with plans for five buildings with 72 condos.

“It’s an easy way of using the Lake of the Woods,” says Grant Robertson, owner of Kenora Home & Cottage Realty and broker for the project.

He has a database of more than 600 people interested in the development, most from Manitoba. Many are cottage owners considering a condo that still lets them enjoy lake activities, he says, adding that each of The Headwaters’ buildings will have its own dock and slips for boats.

The project is believed to be one of the largest of its kind in Western Canada. Its sits on eight acres of land on Tunnel Island, which has many walking trails and is connected to the mainland by bridges.

The first building called The Current has 10 luxury units and should be finished by the end of this June. One unit had been sold and three reserved by the beginning of the year, Robertson said.

“It’s very synonymous with Lake of the Woods cottages – a post and beam look, flared-out pillars,” he says.

“They’ve got all maintenance-free material, very eco-friendly material. They’ve copied the lake look so it fits very well into the environment.”

The Current condos range from 1,333 square feet to 2,271 square feet for the top-floor penthouse. Prices start at $474,778. The penthouse is $828,556.

Once it’s completed, construction of the other four buildings will be phased in. The Banks is slated to be a 44-unit building with lower prices, Robertson says. The Cove and The Point will have nine condos each and The Brook will have 10 units.