Locally Owned and Operated..Celebrating Issue No. 116 November 22, 2015
Identifying a Downtown Location for Wasaga Beach
Building the Social, Cultural & Economic Heart for our Town by Bill Frieday
It was a “standing room only” crowd Thursday evening in the Oakview Room at the RecPlex to listen to a presentation by Andrew McNeill, Director of Economic Development and Tourism. The presentation highlighted relevant information regarding downtowns in communities and potential locations for a downtown in Wasaga Beach. Following the presentation, questions from those in attendance were solicited and about a dozen or so people approached the microphone to give their thoughts. Most were very positive and all congratulated McNeill for the presentation and also for his enthusiasm. Four potential Downtown Sites were mentioned: Main Street, Old Mosley Street (around the Post Office area), Riverbend Plaza Area and 45th Street & Mosley. Attendees were asked to signify their preference by attaching coloured stickers to one of the four site drawings hanging on the wall. The Main Street drawing was the clear choice by an overwhelming majority. Andrew McNeill hopes to present his report to Council before year end.
Photos Courtesy Joe Bickerstaff
Evaluation Criteria Ÿ Sense of History Ÿ 600-800m Main Street Ÿ Fine-Grained Street Network Ÿ Walkable Streets Ÿ Natural Constraints Ÿ Civic Presence Ÿ Art & Culture Presence Ÿ Mix of Land Uses Ÿ Network Parks/Open Spaces Ÿ Infrastructure Capacity Ÿ Transportation Hub Ÿ Willing Development Partners Ÿ Ability to Develop/Redevelop