Stouffville purchases downtown property for $1M to enlarge area around 19 on the Park

The property at 6343 Main St. is immediately east of clock tower

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 10, 2022
Simon Martin

Downtown Stouffville is going to look a little different. The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville purchased the property at 6343 Main St., next to 19 on the Park, and is planning to create urban green space.

The property is immediately east of the clock tower and Civic Square and is currently zoned commercial. However, the town has the intention of removing the buildings to create a more pedestrian square.

“This is a very unique opportunity that we couldn’t pass up,” Stouffville Mayor Iain Lovatt said. “Expanding urban parkland and green space in the heart of our downtown core is not an opportunity that comes up every day. We are very excited to see how Civic Square will be transformed with this addition.”

Whitchurch-Stouffville council approved the $1.089 million purchase with a unanimous vote at a council meeting Jan. 4. The closing date is March 2, 2022.

The funds for the purchase are coming from the town’s Parkland Trust, according to Lovatt.

“This purchase doesn’t cost taxpayers a cent,” Lovatt said. “All the funds are coming from the town’s Parkland Trust which is funded solely by developers.”

Details of the redesign of Civic Square will be coming later this year.

Civic Square is located on the south side of Main Street, between Church Street South and Market Street. The square is home to the historic clock tower and 19 on the Park theatre.

The 6343 Main St. property was most recently the old Stouffville Florist location.

Fishbone was rumoured to be looking to open a location at the address after it had to close its Main Street location in Stouffville. Last year it came to light that Fishbone was planning to open a restaurant at the site. Fishbone approached the town to see if it would be permitted to include a portion of the Civic Square as a seasonal restaurant patio.

The news became public only after an investigator determined the town improperly held a closed meeting to the discuss the matter.

Last month, Pedro Pereira, CEO of Fishbone Restaurant Group, told the Stouffville Sun-Tribune that he was planning to sell the property. "Our building, where we had Fishbone planned for, is coming up for sale -- after dealing with the town for so long I couldn't justify all the charges they were imposing on us," he said in an email. "We truly believe we would have been a draw into the commercially depressed downtown Stouffville and help 19 on the Park, but the people at the town didn't see the value in our project."

Pereira said the town needs a more aggressive approach for the downtown.