Downtown Tomorrow Plan wins national award

The City of Orillia’s Downtown Tomorrow Plan has won an Award of Merit for Planning Excellence from the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP).

The City, together with its consultant team led by Urban Strategies Inc., was recognized in the category of Rural/Small Town Planning at the CIP Conference in Vancouver in July 2013.  

“Council is extremely proud of the Downtown Tomorrow Plan and the national recognition it has received,” said Mayor Angelo Orsi. “The Plan’s comprehensive vision will guide the revitalization of our downtown core and beautiful waterfront over the next 20 years and I’m eager to see its continued implementation.” 

The City is currently working on various Downtown Tomorrow initiatives including, but not limited to:

1.    Adopt the Heritage Conservation District Plan and initiate designation of significant heritage properties

• The Heritage Conservation District Plan is currently in development.
• The heritage designation of the Franklin Carmichael House, 55 Scott. St., on Aug. 15, 2013.

 2.    Seek to acquire strategic properties on the waterfront

• Council approved the establishment of a team that is currently looking at acquiring certain waterfront viewscapes.

 3.    Public Realm and Streetscape Improvement Plan

• Council approved a capital project for a Public Realm and Streetscape Improvement Plan, which encompasses numerous Downtown Tomorrow initiatives such as: upgrading and enhancing Mississaga Street, beautifying Coldwater Street and other key entry streets, redesigning and extending Centennial Drive, and building a new square, pier and pavilion in Centennial Park.

4.    Improve access to parking and the design of parking lots

• A project is underway to reconstruct Lot 11 according to the standards envisioned in the Plan. Each successive public parking lot within the Plan study area will be constructed or reconstructed to the same standards. Other recent lots to achieve this goal are Lots 1,2 and 4.

The CIP, which represents approximately 7,000 planning professionals across Canada, honours planning projects for their excellence, innovation, impact on the profession, implementation potential, public engagement, and the project’s overall presentation.

The City of Orillia is a city of 30,586 people in the heart of Central Ontario on the shores of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Visit our website at orillia.ca.

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Ian Sugden
Director of Development Services
705-329-7256
isugden@orillia.ca

Jennifer Ruff
Manager of Communications
705-325-8929
705-238-9209 (cell)
jruff@orillia.ca