City to host public information centre on future of traffic and parking in the downtown waterfront area on Nov. 30

The City of Orillia invites residents, businesses, and visitors to provide input on the future of traffic and parking in the downtown and waterfront areas (see key map) at a virtual public information centre (PIC) on Nov. 30 from 4 to 7 p.m.

“In the next few years, there will be significant projects revitalizing the downtown and waterfront areas in Orillia. It’s very important that we gather feedback and recommendations from our residents, businesses, and visitors to better assess and help inform improvements to the City’s parking assets and programs to meet current and future needs,” said Mayor Steve Clarke.

The virtual PIC will take place via the Microsoft Teams platform. Attendees will have the opportunity to view a presentation regarding the current Downtown and Waterfront Area Traffic and Parking Study and ask questions via live chat. Staff and project consultants will be available to respond live throughout the PIC (either through the chat or the presenter). No pre-registration is required to attend the virtual PIC; you can click the link here to join at the time of the PIC. The link is also available at orillia.ca/parking. 

As part of the PIC, findings from the Downtown and Waterfront Area Traffic and Parking Study online survey will be presented. The survey was available over a six-week period in October and early November and received more than 500 responses. 

The study will evaluate the parking needs in the downtown and waterfront areas based on amenities, attractions and growth and analyze parking issues such as the number of parking lots, spaces and their locations, along with parking programming such as pricing, timing and availability. An analysis of traffic activities in the study area will help staff understand the total parking requirement throughout the downtown and waterfront area. 

For those who can’t take part in the virtual PIC, the event will be recorded and posted at orillia.ca/parking following the meeting. Written comments can also be submitted viaemail to Lisa V. Dobson, Transportation Technologist, at ldobson@orillia.ca until Dec. 2, 2021. 

The results of the study are anticipated to be presented to Council in early 2022. 

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Ian Sugden
General Manager of Development Services and Engineering
705-329-7256
isugden@orillia.ca

Lisa V. Dobson
Transportation Technologist
705-326-4132
ldobson@orillia.ca

Jennifer Ruff
Director of Business Development and Communications
705-325-8929
705-238-9209 (cell)
jruff@orillia.ca