While future plans for 84 Hurontario St. may still be up in the air, a local advocate is hoping the town will consider transforming the space into a permanent town square public park.
During the Nov. 6 regular meeting of council, resident Andrew Conway provided a presentation to councillors asking them to consider the benefits of using the space as a permanent park. His plea comes ahead of a downtown visioning exercise to be completed by the town in 2024 that will determine the final use for the site.
Conway is starting a grassroots movement aiming striking a committee to further the suggestion, including launching a survey to gather public input.
“As a volunteer, I went to the square with a clipboard to ask questions. The most common response I got was, ‘What park?’ as we stood in the middle of it,” Conway told councillors.
The town purchased the vacant land at 84 Hurontario Street on Oct. 28, 2022 for $1.7 million. The Collingwood BIA had approached the town with the suggestion the town purchase the property.
The BIA took the torch on an interim activation for the land, including removing and fixing broken rubble, adding asphalt on the concrete pad, removing trip hazards and installing an entrance path from Hurontario Street. Benches, planters and bike racks were pulled from the BIA’s existing inventory and installed on the site in time for Canada Day this past July.
The short-term work had a budget estimate of $50,000, which was paid out of the BIA budget through a government grant.
Long-term plans for 84 Hurontario will be determined through a new downtown planning exercise, which will be happening in tandem with the community-based strategic plan refresh and is expected to be completed in 2024.
Earlier this year, BIA board chair Sarah Pennal noted during a council meeting that the BIA board was very supportive of the property becoming a future town square.
Through Conway’s data collection, he said 297 people said they would like to see a permanent public park in the space, with an additional 218 filling out an online survey also in support of the idea.
In speaking with farmer’s market vendors and downtown business owners, Conway said they told him they would like it if the space could have places to sit outdoors to eat their lunch. Some of the most common features requested in a potential park through Conway’s survey include green space, trees, benches, art, a fountain, flowers and public gathering/meeting space.
“If you build a park, people will come,” said Conway.
In an update on progress on the site sent to CollingwoodToday this week by town clerk Sara Almas, she confirmed that the BIA is in the process of adding outdoor lighting and a small, portable temporary stage to support evening events on the site.
In regards to the downtown visioning exercise and the community-based strategic plan, Almas said a request for proposals issued this past summer saw consultant Strategy Corp. in partnership with The Fortin Group awarded the work.
The downtown visioning exercise will explore uses for 84 Hurontario St., as well as explore solutions to other matters impacting downtown Collingwood such as improving bicycle accessibility/safety, identify future land acquisitions, come up with parking system management, heritage considerations, pedestrian/neighbourhood connectivity, coming up with a streetscape plan and how best to promote the arts.
Forum Research Group was retained by the town to conduct a community-wide survey that will supplement both plans in 2024. The downtown visioning exercise work is expected to conclude by July 2024.
“We are unsure on the length of the short-term use, as the outcomes will be part of the downtown management plan that will provide guidance for the next 20 years,” said Almas.
Conway will be holding the inaugural meeting of his new advocacy committee on Nov 13 at 6 p.m. in the Murray Clerkson room of the Collingwood Public Library.
“Anyone and everyone is welcome,” said Conway.
To read more about the movement or to participate in the group’s survey, click here.
