City finalizes sale for waterfront redevelopment land
The former municipally-owned lands located at and around 70 Front St. N. were officially sold to FRAM Building Group (FRAM) on April 5, 2022. This now privately-owned land will be developed by FRAM and will include townhomes, and mixed-use retail/green space.
All future updates and information regarding the Sunshine Harbour development will be managed and communicated through FRAM. To learn more about this development and to register for more information as it becomes available, please visit sunshineharbour.com.
If you have any further questions regarding Sunshine Harbour, please contact Valentina Serrafero of FRAM at vserrafero@framgroup.com.
Learn more about the Downtown Tomorrow Plan Major Projects:
Centennial Drive Area Improvements
Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan Grant Program
| Waterfront Redevelopment Project News, Media Releases & Staff Reports | ||||||||||||
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Status Updates & Project History |
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| Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) |
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1. Why did the City purchase 70 Front St. N.? In 2016 the City purchased 70 Front St. N. The Downtown Tomorrow Plan (the City's long-term vision for the downtown and waterfront) recommended the acquisition of strategic parcels in the waterfront area so that the City could facilitate future redevelopment of these sites. The purchase of 70 Front St. N. also allowed the City to secure lands needed to extend Coldwater Street to Centennial Drive in order to improve the connections between the Lake Couchiching waterfront and the downtown.
2. How does the future redevelopment of the site benefit me as a taxpayer? The future redevelopment of 70 Front St. N. will result in new residents, stores and services and job opportunities in the downtown core. Residents and visitors alike will be able to enjoy the site more fully, spend time at the new public square and the downtown will be more vibrant on a year-round basis. Overall we expect the redevelopment of the lands will increase the tax base, stimulate development on surrounding lands and improve the local economy through increased patronage to downtown stores and services.
3. Why does the City want to redevelop 70 Front St. N.? Currently 70 Front St. N. is underutilized, results in a visual and physical gap between the downtown and the waterfront, and the rear of the building faces the Port of Orillia, which does not present an appropriate “first impression” for visitors arriving by boat. The Downtown Tomorrow Plan (2012) sets out a long-term vision to help guide the City's future infrastructure investments, and private-sector redevelopment decisions, in a manner that would achieve the downtown revitalization goals of the Plan. A redevelopment of 70 Front St. N. upholds this vision through the extension of Coldwater Street to Centennial Drive, extending the existing retail environment to the waterfront and increasing the capacity for people to live and work in the downtown core. A redevelopment of the site would leverage the attractiveness of Orillia's Lake Couchiching waterfront and present a welcoming new face to visitors arriving at the Port of Orillia, improving the connections between the downtown and the waterfront.
4. Will the site include residential uses? The Downtown Tomorrow Plan recommended that redevelopment in the "Downtown-at-the-Lake" precinct consist primarily of residential uses in order to increase the amount of people living, working and shopping in the downtown core. Having more people living in the downtown area helps the City accommodate its projected growth needs through infill and intensification, while also ensuring that more people are available to work, shop and dine in the downtown area. Together, these factors will ensure that the downtown is vibrant throughout the year. The design concept as submitted by FRAM consists of a mixed-used development that includes waterfront townhomes, a stepped-back eight-storey mixed-use building at the corner of Coldwater and Front Streets, a variety of commercial space, green building practices, pedestrian linkages and more.
5. What will happen to the Metro grocery store and its employees? Metro has a long-term lease expiring in 2029. In January 2019, Council directed staff to expropriate certain lease rights from Metro and Subway that otherwise would have prevented a redevelopment of the southern portion of the site. This direction does not impact Metro’s ability to remain on the site and staff intend to work with Metro to mitigate any potential disruptions to the store during construction of the waterfront infrastructure work (i.e. reconstruction of Front Street North, Coldwater Street and Centennial Drive).
6. How much will it cost for the City to develop the lands? While the City has completed an analysis for future development, the actual development will not be built by the City. The intention is for the City to prepare the infrastructure (public roads, sewers etc.) and a private developer, in this case FRAM, to purchase and develop the property in a manner that aligns with Council’s development principles.
7. Has “affordable housing” been considered for this site? Affordable housing is being addressed in other areas of the City, including the downtown area. The affordable housing target for the City of Orillia is to achieve 164 new affordable units by 2024. As of September 30, 2018, a total of 132 units have already been achieved, through means such as rent supplements, secondary suites, and home ownership down payment assistance. Affordable housing in the City of Orillia is addressed at a County level, and is managed by the County of Simcoe’s Social Housing Department.
8. Did Council consider enlarging the adjacent parkland? Yes, the enlargement of the adjacent parkland was considered by the Waterfront Working Group and Council. When considering this, Council members carefully evaluated various factors such as the cost of parkland, the return on investment of parkland (both in terms of quality of life and in tax assessment) and the current use of the land to be developed. According to the 2017 BMA Study, the City of Orillia already contributes approximately 50% more than the average municipality on parkland (based on net costs per capita excluding amortization). Community members have significant access to waterfront lands through City parks (Couchiching Beach Park, Tudhope Park, Leacock Museum lands, Veteran’s Park, Port of Orillia) and three nearby Provincial Parks. As such, in August of 2018, Council made the decision to retain the existing footprint of waterfront parklands (with a minor expansion to include French’s Stand) and proceed with development of 70 Front St. N. and the adjacent rail bed. This design approach has been reflected in the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment and Detailed Design for the proposed Centennial Drive Realignment Project.
9. Will Centennial Park or Couchiching Beach Park be reduced in size? No, in fact Centennial Park will increase in size as it is proposed to realign to Centennial Drive to run behind (west of) French’s Stand.
10. What heights are permitted in the Waterfront Redevelopment Lands? The minimum permitted height is two storeys or equivalent (which means a building might only have one functional storey but from the exterior of the building it will need to look as though it is two storeys in height).
The maximum height varies depending on the location. The map below shows the various height restrictions, which range from a maximum height of four storeys to a maximum height of eight storeys depending on the location. Any proposal for eight storeys will be subject to a Zoning By-law Amendment application and will only be considered on portions of the land shown on the map below that allow up to eight storeys (otherwise an Official Plan Amendment would also be required).
Buildings in excess of three storeys are required to be “stepped back” from Coldwater Street, Mississaga Street East, and Centennial Drive on a 45-degree angular plane, with the intent of providing viewscapes to the lake, limiting shadows, and mitigating the appearance of the building size.
11. How did community consultation shape this project? Significant community consultation has informed the development of the Downtown Tomorrow Plan, the Port of Orillia Area Public Realm Plan, and the Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan over the past nine years, all of which are guiding documents for the redevelopment of the municipal waterfront lands. In addition to extensive public engagement over the past 10 years, which informed the 12 Guiding Development Principles and the RFP, further public feedback was gathered between April 9 to 18, 2021 through an online survey on the presentation boards as submitted by the two proponents. Public feedback helped inform the technical evaluation process as it pertained to the development principles and informed negotiations. |
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