On Thursday afternoon, councillors Jonathan Scott, Mark Contois, and Peter Dykie Jr. joined town staff for their first site visit as part of the Holland Street revitalization project, which has finally commenced after a seven-year hiatus.
“Moving forward with downtown revitalization is a core priority, and it’s good to see the project restarting,” said Coun. Dykie.
Next month, the environmental assessment process will begin to outline options for reconstruction, with public consultations beginning early in the new year.
The scope of the project includes road and underground works on Holland Street from Bridge Street to Melbourne Drive.
“We’re talking about driving downtown revitalization forward,” said Coun. Contois. “We’re talking about linking laneways and making community space along with our parking lots being upgraded, with more spaces and more accessible spaces, as well as public gathering spots and art in those laneways. These could be public amenities that bring foot traffic to an older section of town, our downtown, to support local merchants and make the area more vibrant.”
The project has a budget of $17,483,500 (funded mostly from Development Charges).
“This project to revitalize Holland Street is central to our vision of a transformed downtown, one that is walkable, beautiful, and a great destination for shopping and dining,” said Coun. Scott, chair of the downtown revitalization committee. “Throughout the summer, I visited and spoke with the lead councillors in other towns that have recently redesigned their downtown streets, including Barrie and Newmarket, and saw firsthand how transformational reconstructing their main streets has been to improving the entire area and helping local small businesses thrive.”
The project is planned to be completed by end of 2025.