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When George Dark looks at Orillia's waterfront and downtown, all he sees is potential.
Dark, an urban designer and landscape architect who is consultant Urban Strategies' point man in helping the city develop a waterfront and downtown revitalization plan, has spent a lot of time in the Sunshine City in recent weeks, getting the lay of the land and talking with people who have dreams and hopes for Orillia’s prime real estate.
"There are some real small-town characteristics here," said Dark. "The number of real honest-to-goodness towns not about to be subsumed by other factors is very few and far between. Orillia has a real downtown core with authentic qualities. It’s traditional and it’s attractive. That’s a great start."
But it's just a start, he cautioned, noting that the downtown was originally designed for retail uses. However, the retail landscape has been radically transformed in recent years. Big box mania is a reality. So what is the downtown actually for, he asks.
He said some downtowns, for example, have more housing built in the city core. That appears to be a deficit in Orillia, he noted.
On the positive side, he says a 'health cluster' has been naturally spawned by the revitalization of Orillia's Soldiers' Memorial Hospital. And he was quick to point out that the brain trust behind Lakehead University – Orillia is adamant that the fledgling post-secondary institution maintain a downtown presence to complement its burgeoning campus in west Orillia.
"If you had a plan for downtown Orillia, I think you could see the metamorphosis of that hospital section, you could design a campus plan for Lakehead University and Georgian College, if you could create a range of living choices for people … what you have is wonderful potential," said Dark. "I can imagine a couple living downtown. Maybe the wife is taking a university course, the husband can have his health-care needs met. All I see is potential," he said.
He said he can see people being drawn to the downtown core to live and to take advantage of key amenities such as the new library, which Dark says is something to build around.
"I was absolutely blown away when I saw the new library," said Dark. "I design campuses and downtowns for a living and when I saw the way the new modern architecture complements the Opera House … this is what a really intelligent, mature community would create," he said of the new facility.
"I certainly wouldn't suggest it’s too big," he said, referring to the concerns that have been expressed by some in the community. "I'd say it's quite wonderful. This is a forward-looking facility – a showpiece to be proud of."
Orillia's other showpiece is what many call the jewel of the Trent-Severn water system: Couchiching Beach Park. "You have a park that people seem to be pretty proud of. Now, what do we need to do extend it even further?" Dark asks. "For example, you could stretch it from Couchiching Beach to Brewery Bay. How do you do that? What's the next step? Wouldn't it be better with a hotel and a restaurant at the waterfront? Why is there no sidewalk on Centennial Drive? Let's have a discussion and talk about some of those questions."
While Centennial Park is a gem, some other components"of the waterfront are definitely diamonds in the rough, he said.
"You have some beautiful pieces of land burdened with some inexplicable uses," he said, referring to the scrapyard that has been a waterfront fixture for many decades.
"The other big factor is that most of the land you can build on in Orillia is brownfields," he said. "Brownfield sites are being recovered all over North America. Twenty years ago, we ran away from brownfields. Now, we realize that humanity created this mess and that we as a society can't walk away from it. It's a generational requirement we face, I believe."
Now is the time to "imagine the possibilities," Dark said.
Dark and his associates at Urban Strategies want to help Orillia imagine those possibilities. And while they have already engaged many of the key stakeholders in one-on-one and group sessions, the community is being invited to participate in the process through a design charrette process – something Dark believes is critical to developing a successful plan.
The interactive public consultation process will be held from May 1 to 4 at the Orillia Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. Full details of the week-long exercise can be found at www.downtowntomorrow.ca
"We're very good at hosting a bigger dialogue inside a community and to pull things together from various sources and introduce people to each other," said Dark, who has been instrumental in successful projects in downtown Toronto, Calgary, Minnesota, Ottawa and many other cities, large and small, around the globe.
In most of those instances, Urban Strategies has employed the design charrette process – a series of community meetings where input was encouraged.
"It's really a wonderful, very participatory way that takes some of the mystique out of the process," said Dark. "You need a way to guide the process and we've found that this works well. The municipality plays a strong role along with the EDC and landowners."
Ian Sugden, the city's manager of planning and development, said he believes the charrette will be a critical tool in helping people to shape the future.
"The design charrette is an interactive process where members of the public, city staff, members of council – anyone – can come in and describe their ideas for what they feel should be built, placed, or designed where within the study area," said Sugden. "Their ideas will be fleshed out with the assistance of the city's consultants and their sub-consultant team, so that the people providing their ideas and comments can ensure that their ideas are correctly understood, and can be tested from a number of different perspectives."
At the end of the design charrette, Sugden said the city's consultants will have a plan of the study area that reflects the combination of the input received from the participants, and the technical experience and expertise of the consultants.
"An action plan will be informed by the master development concept plan, and if adopted by council, will serve as the 'recipe' to guide council (and future councils) with respect to capital projects and infrastructure investment, while also serving the needs of the private sector as a demonstration of the city’s commitment to make certain improvements that will make private sector investment more viable and attractive," said Sugden.
Dark agrees the plan is important but it is nothing without sincere and wide-ranging input, he said. In the end, it will be up to those in the community – from politicians to downtown business owners to waterfront landowners to every day citizens – to ensure that the plan is carried out.
"I'm not moving to Orillia. It's up to you and everyone in Orillia to make it happen."
Dark said before the sun sets on summer, he hopes to be able to present to council what could potentially be done so that any plans could be included in budget deliberations.
Help shape the future of your city. Join us at the Design Charrette for Orillia's Downtown and Waterfront, May 1-4 at the Royal Canadian Legion on Mississaga Street.
A charrette is an interactive process that brings a community together to plan and design a place. The goal is to identify opportunities, address challenges and craft solutions in an open, collaborative forum. The Design Charrette for Orillia will be run by a team of design professionals led by Urban Strategies Inc.
May 1 – 7 to 9 p.m.
At an evening public forum, Orillians will be inspired by the successes of other cities, presented by a panel of Canada's leading "place-makers".
May 2 – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
On May 2nd, participants will roll up their sleeves and engage in planning sessions throughout the day on different aspects of downtown and the waterfront, including parks, trails, housing, culture and the economy. As discussions are occurring, ideas will be represented in drawings and a model of downtown. In the evening, beginning at 7 p.m., the outcomes of the discussions will be on display at a public open house.
May 3
Urban Strategies will continue to explore and refine the community's ideas.
May 4 – 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
At a public open house on May 4th, we will present the emerging design and potential projects for the downtown.
Everyone is encouraged to participate in any or all of the public charrette activities scheduled on May 1st, 2nd and 4th. No special skills are required. Just bring your knowledge of the city, your ideas for its future and your enthusiasm!
Full details of the program can be found at www.downtowntomorrow.ca
