A Community Improvement Plan
It's Your Community - Make it Your Plan!
The Township has retained RCI Consulting and GSP Group Inc. to prepare a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) for the Lakefield, Bridgenorth, Ennismore and Young's Point. A CIP is a planning and economic development framework that may include public realm improvement projects and financial incentive programs designed to stimulate private sector investment and building rehabilitation and development. A CIP allows for a variety of financial grants and loans to assist registered property owners and tenants of lands and buildings within the Community Improvement Area in rehabilitating their properties.
- Why Prepare a Community Improvement Plan?
- The Township's Official Plan
- Study Area
- Public Consultation
- Visioning Workshops
- Background Report
- Next Steps
Why Prepare a Community Improvement Plan?
Community Improvement Plans can help residents, business owners, and investors to plan for the revitalization, redevelopment and stabilization of their neighbourhoods. Under the Planning Act, municipalities can identify community improvement areas and participate in revitalization projects, provide incentives, and undertake public works that help to improve those communities. A CIP also enables the Township to provide financial incentives to private landowners for improvements to lands, buildings, signs, landscaping and other works.
The Township's Official Plan
The Township's Official Plan:
- supports the preparation of a CIP;
- provides a starting point in establishing the study area(s);
- promotes preservation and enhancement of existing commercial areas; and
- encourages the improvement of the physical and aesthetic amenities of streetscapes in the community improvement area(s) to encourage private investment and revitalization.
Community Improvement Polices are found in Section 7.25 of the Official Plan.
As part of the process of developing a Community Improvement Plan, our consultants identified a need to update our Official Plan Policies as they relate to Community Improvement Plans.
Subsequent to reviewing the current policies, our consultants indicated that the policies were dated, lacked sufficient detail to guide community improvement, and contained a number of omissions and redundancies in relation to Section 28 of the Planning Act. This was largely a result of the age of the policies. Therefore, the County of Peterborough undertook an Official Plan Amendment in order to ensure that the policies would be sufficient for the purposes of enabling and guiding the municipal provision of grants and loans and other proactive municipal activities to promote community improvement.
Click here to review OPA No. 12 (Section 7.25) of the Official Plan.
Study Area
The CIP project areas were established in the Township's Official Plan; and was the area that the Township asked to be studied as part of the CIP process. The initial study area differs from the boundaries of the recommended community improvement area. Our consultants recommended the community improvement project area based on an assessment of the area. That assessment included a determination of areas in which public realm improvements will be focused; and the area where any financial incentive programs will be offered. The links below illustrate the boundaries of the recommended community improvement project areas. The Community Improvement Project Area will be designated by a by-law passed by Council, and the CIP will ultimately apply to the designated Community Project Area within each community.
Public Consultation
Public Consultation is an important aspect in the preparation of a Community Improvement Plan. It allows planners to better understand the key issues and values within the study area and find ways to ensure that the area not only remained viable, but is also revitalized.
The Township has also established a Steering Committee comprised of Township and County Staff and business representatives from each of the study areas, in order to gain optimal perspective from the community:
- Jeannette Thompson, Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield
- Robert Lamarre, Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield
- Janice Lavalley, Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield
- Angela Chittick, Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield
- Lane Vance, Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield
- Reeve Mary Smith, Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield
- Bryan Weir, County of Peterborough
- Sue Mattuci, Young's Point Representative
- Vern Hamilton, Lakefield Representative
- Stuart Hubble, Bridgenorth Representative
- Raj Patel, Ennismore Representative
How to get involved
Do you own property or operate a business in any of the study areas? Do you live, work or play in these areas of the Township? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you are a stakeholder and you should consider contributing to the CIP.
Your input into the CIP process is vital to the success of the CIP. That is why we want to keep you informed and engaged in the process and ensure we receive your input and feedback.
There are several ways to get involved:
- Participate and provide input at the public meetings/workshops.
- Provide you input and share you idea through written submission sent to you Township's Building and Planning Department.
- Talk to Township Planning Staff or members of Council about this project.
The Township held workshops on November 1st and 2nd order to solicit the communities' vision for the CIP areas. A copy of the Consultants' presentation is available for review at the links below:
Community Improvement Plan - Background Report
The purpose of the Background Report is to provide a strong foundation for the preparation of the CIP. The Background Report provides information related to the study area, study method, and the legislative and regulatory framework. The Background Report summarizes the consultants' assessment of each CIP area, the communities' vision of each area and suggested community improvements. The Background Report also provides direction for public realm improvements and financial incentive programs.
Public Realm Improvements
The Background Report suggests that improvements to the public realm within the four (4) project areas will be the foundation for private property and business owner investment in these areas. Based on the area assessment and the suggested community improvements generated at the visioning workshops, our consultants will consider the following opportunities when generating the CIP:
- Opportunities for a wayfinding program that connects different features and amenities within each project area, but also connects the four project areas together across the Township;
- Opportunities for streetscape improvements to key corridors within the four project areas that seek to strengthen the pedestrian atmosphere and visual quality of the core areas;
- Opportunities for improvement to waterfront access, including building on existing access points, as well creating new access points;
- Opportunities for strengthening the key entrance locations to the four projects areas, including gateway signage (whether new gateway features or building on existing gateway features) and landscape plantings;
- Opportunities for elements that mesh the four project areas together, whether signage, landscaping, or other features;
- Opportunities for "greening" the four project areas in terms of street tree and landscape plantings to visually improve the quality of the areas;
- Opportunities for further implementing any outstanding public realm improvements from the 1992 Lakefield CIP that remain valid and appropriate;
- Opportunities for non-motorized travel options, including pedestrian and cyclist travel, both within and to/from the project areas;
- Opportunities for transit connections between the four projects areas and other locations in the County;
- Opportunities for improvements to municipal infrastructure, particularly servicing infrastructure for Bridgenorth;
- Opportunities for traffic-calming features and designs as part of street improvements throughout the four project areas;
- Opportunities for improvements to existing public spaces or the establishment of new public spaces within the project areas; and,
- Opportunities for other elements that build on the character, identity and history of the respective community, such as public art or other local elements.
Financial Incentive Programs
Drawing from the area assessment conducted by our consultants and the visioning workshops, our consultants have suggested a number of preliminary financial incentive programs that have potential application in the project areas:
- Urban Design Study Grant Program: for professional architectural/design studies and drawings requested by the Township.
- Facade Improvement Grant/Loan Program: for facade works such as repair or replacement of storefront doors and windows, facade materials, exterior and storefront lighting. Also applies to heritage buildings and increased funding may be made available for heritage buildings.
- Building Improvement Grant/Loan Program: for interior and exterior building system repairs and improvements such as structural repairs, heating, ventilation, plumbing, electrical, roof, barrier-free accessibility, landscaping and parking lot improvement.
- Residential Grant/Loan Program: for the conversion/rehabilitation of vacant and underutilized second floor commercial space to residential units and construction of new residential units through infill and intensification. Increased funding may be made available for affordable housing/housing for seniors.
- Tax Increment Based Grant Program: provides a significant tax increment based grant (70% or higher) for up to 10 years to assist with the infill, intensification and redevelopment project costs.
- Planning and Building Permit Fee Grant Program: provides an extra incentive for rehabilitation, revitalization and redevelopment projects in the form of a grant equivalent to part or all of the planning application and building permit fees on completed projects.
Please refer any comments or suggestions in relation to the Background Study and Report to Jeannette Thompson.
To review the Background Report in its entirety please click here.
We are now commencing with Phase 2 of the CIP process. Phase 2 involves the preparation of the community improvement strategy, which includes:
- public realm improvements;
- design guidelines for public realm improvements and private realm improvements and developments; and
- financial incentive programs.
These items will be the subject of Public Open Houses and Workshops which have been tentatively scheduled for early spring 2012. The Consultants will then prepare a draft Community Improvement Plan. The draft Community Improvement Plan will be the subject of a Public Meeting which is tentatively scheduled for early summer 2012.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact Jeannette Thompson - (705) 292-9507 Ext. 220
