The town is looking to rename the Collingwood Grain Terminals Revitalization project to kick off public consultations on the project.
According to town officials, the name change is intended to more accurately reflect the entire space, which includes the Terminals as well as the public space surrounding them and the spit.
Residents can vote for one of four shortlisted names – The Portlands, Terminals Point, The Harbourlands or The Spit – until Oct. 20.
“This is the beginning of the public consultation process. We really want it to be a process where all voices are heard and considered in shaping the future of this area. It’s a really cherished area for our community,” said Mayor Yvonne Hamlin.
“The current name is a mouthful, and it doesn’t recognize that it’s not just the Terminals we’re dealing with here,” she said.
Plans for the major Collingwood landmark were first revealed to the public in March in a presentation by Les Mallins, president of Streetcar Developments Inc. Streetcar and Dream Unlimited are collaborating on the project with the town, which will see the Terminals converted into a hotel, residential condominiums, restaurants, event spaces and includes major changes to Millennium Park and the spit. The project is expected to come with a price tag of more than $200 million.
In June, the town signed a memorandum of understanding with Streetcar and Dream. The preliminary agreement, which is non-binding, has been kept mostly confidential so far. However, some details shared with the public include the town’s intention to sell 0.2 acres of land (approximately) to the developers for the condominium tower, and enter a long-term lease for the rest of the land under the Terminals building (about 0.8 acres). The town would keep ownership of the rest of the 20-acre property on the spit.
Additional details from the staff report in June noted the town's financial commitment to the project is about $15 million, but the budget could change.
“When the public describes the project by its name, we want to recognize it’s a big project that involves all the public spaces, which are going to be awesome,” said Hamlin.
Senior staff at the town and the development team from Streetcar/Dream collaborated to come up with the four shortlisted names.
The options for re-naming the project include: The Portlands, Terminals Point, The Harbourlands and The Spit.
According to the news release, The Portlands name is a nod to the location which was once a busy shipping port, and also represents the idea of a gathering place.
Terminals Point is the only name option presented by the town that uses the word "terminals" which appears on the former grain elevator building. The word "point" is taken from nearby Sunset Point and Lighthouse Point.
The Harbourlands takes its name from the greenspace and park areas around the Collingwood Harbour. The area was named Harbourlands Park in 2000, with Millennium Park at the end of the spit behind the Terminals.
The Spit is a geographical term referring to a narrow coastal land formation tied to a coast at one end. The land formation containing the harbour, Terminals building, and Millennium Park is a spit, and is also referred to locally as "the Spit."
“I think this is a chance for the community to have some fun as this project begins,” said Hamlin.
Voting is open until Oct. 20. While this is the first opportunity for the public to provide input into the project, more public engagement opportunities will be coming. The details on future opportunities will be posted on the town's Engage page.
To vote or learn more about the project, click here.
Please note the reader poll below is not the town's official vote. To have your vote count in the town's renaming process click the link above or visit the Engage Collingwood website.
