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Trying to breathe new life into a downtown core |
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The downtown shopping core of Port Elgin, Saugeen Shores, is looking more desolate every day as more business store-fronts become empty. The Community Improvement Plan (CIP) committee was established to address the various challenges that face the Port Elgin downtown core and to try to come up with some solutions to attract consumers, including improvements to sidewalks, signage, building facades, lighting, landscaping and street furniture. Councilor Luke Charbonneau, also Chair of the CIP, said that the committee would examine all the downtown facades and recommend improvements to the business owners. "We would like to see continuity in colours and textures and things like planters and heritage buildings integrated in to the overall streetscape planning. We have to encourage business owners to be open to overall improvements." "Something else I think we should consider," adds Charbonneau, "is to offer things like tax concessions to businesses along with accessible loan programs under the Ontario Accessibility Act to provide financing to remove barriers to access."
Councilor Victoria Serda also raised concerns that the original plan was to have had an environmental component for businesses to look at things such as energy efficiencies. "If the environment is taken out of the equation and the environmental component no longer exists then where does the environment stand?" asked Serda.
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"I also thought the report would have a more esthetic content," added Councilor Dianne Huber. "It was my understanding that, in 2008, Council had budgeted monies, that included $25,000 from Wal-Mart.
The committee will continue its efforts to encourage local business
owners to support an overall facelift for the downtown core. Luke Charbonneau, Chair - Community Improvement
Committee (CIP) presented a draft Community Improvement Plan on behalf
of the CIP. The plan was completed for a section of Port Elgin’s
downtown core. The draft plan recommends that a streetscape plan and
façade study be completed for an estimated cost of $50,000.00 for the
Streetscape Plan and $8,000.00 for the Façade Study. The draft plan further recommends a Façade Improvement
Program and Accessibility Program. Each of these programs could include
financial incentives such as refunding building and sign permit fees,
grants or loans up to $10,000.00 or tax increment financing, all of
which would be subject to Council’s annual budget allocation. The
programs would be offered to the CIP area on a voluntary basis. The Community Improvement Plan is legislated under the
Planning Act and there is a requirement to hold a public meeting prior
to adopting a Community Improvement Plan. The Committee requested additional in-depth information
on how the programs would be administered, implemented and funded. The
detailed answers are not however, available at this time. It was
noted that the County of Bruce has applied for funding for downtown
streetscapes so it may be possible to acquire some funding through the
County. It was recommended that the Community Improvement
Committee hold the statutory public meeting under the Planning Act and
that the CIP committee report back to Council on the results of the
public meeting. |
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