Simcoe Street will be closed to vehicular traffic for a one-day test later this month.
On Saturday, July 25, town staff will be closing the street from Hurontario to St. Paul Street and the businesses in the area will be able to set up patios and displays on the sidewalk and street for the day.
The idea was first pitched in June by Cassie MacKell, owner of Low Down, on behalf of Simcoe Street businesses. MacKell suggested closing down Simcoe Street from Thursday to Saturday each week.
Deputy Clerk Becky Dahl presented an update to council this week saying town staff had surveyed the affected business owners along the street and compromised with a one-day shut down on July 25.
The survey generated some opposition to the plan suggesting a four-day shut down would impact garbage collection, delivery, and parking for area health care buildings.
There’s also a laneway beside the former Molly Blooms and across the street at Moguls that would be closed off for tenants and businesses who use it for access and parking.
“Staff is proposing to move forward for July 25 and close all of Simcoe Street,” said Dahl.“If we do move forward with this and there continue to be objections from businesses in the first block of Simcoe Street, staff will have to reevaluate and potentially just close the easterly block. If the pilot is a success, we’ll be looking at implementing this for Saturdays through the summer.”
One of the early supporters of the closure, Rick Lex, said the town needs to find a sustainable solution to keeping the access lane beside the former Molly Blooms, across Simcoe Street, and to the parking lot beside Moguls open.
“I would really encourage staff and council to … leave the lane open and allow cars to cross,” said Lex. “If it is closed, it will be a concern to the point where this trial could fail and we don’t want that to happen.”
Members of council asked if other restaurants could set up food carts or if farmers’ market vendors could set up in the closed street.
Dahl said staff could consider such requests.
However, Collingwood Fire Chief Ross Parr warned council there’s still a state of emergency in place limiting the number of people allowed to gather.
“We have to watch how we promote this and how many people gather at this,” said Parr, noting the original intent of the closure was to facilitate businesses already located on the street. “We have to be cautious about how we do this street closing until the government relaxes its orders.”
At the same time as the Simcoe Street closure pilot was suggested and council gave staff its blessing to pursue it, council also approved a temporary program allowing restaurant patios to expand on the sidewalk and into street parking areas.
Dahl said as of July 8 the town had issued eight permits for expanded downtown patios, and there were four new patios at restaurants that had never had outdoor seating.
“It’s exciting to see,” said Dahl. “It will definitely activate our downtown even further.”
