Creating vibrant downtowns: revitalizing Mount Albert’s core

NRU
Oct. 1, 2014
By Leah Wong

East Gwillimbury’s committee of the whole has approved the latest set of recommendations on how to move forward on the revitalization of downtown Mount Albert.

Throughout the revitalization process staff have been mindful of the fact that this strategy could be used as a model as East Gwillimbury looks to revitalize the historic downtowns of its other villages - Sharon, Holland Landing and Queensville - economic development officer Dan Stone told NRU.

“[We hope] lessons learned out of the Mount Albert exercise will help us with embarking on the other communities,” he said. “We think it will have value added there.”

Much like other small towns, the dynamic of Mount Albert has changed as people are drawn to newer forms of retail rather than traditional local businesses. For many commuters that reside in the Mount Albert area, it’s most convenient to access day-to-day services on the way home. This is a challenge for many businesses in small towns.

While the residential population of the community has grown, the downtown has lagged.

“It’s grown, and yet we need to stimulate redevelopment,” Mayor Virginia Hackson told NRU. “We’ve got a beautiful, quaint community core that really needs to be updated.”

In revitalizing downtown Mount Albert the town is looking to create a vibrant, walkable core with a range of services and opportunities for residents in the community. The town also hopes to capitalize on the travelling public and entice people to visit Mount Albert.

“We’re looking to turn it into a very vibrant community core both for the residents of Mount Albert, but also for the residents of East Gwillimbury as a whole,” said Hackson.

The process of revitalizing the Mount Albert downtown requires years of commitment said Stone.

“This notion of downtown revitalization is a long-term effort,” said Stone. “We might be able to achieve some quick wins, but it doesn’t happen overnight.”

As such, town staff has laid out a series of goals that can be achieved within different timeframes - short-term goals will take one-three years, medium-term will take three-five years and long-term initiatives will take 5-10 years.

Short-term goals include engaging the community to start discussions about creating a Business Improvement Area, developing a conceptual plan for Downtown Mount Albert and reviewing and implementing a wayfinding strategy. Mediumterm goals include creating a downtown revitalization marketing strategy for Mount Albert, while long-term goals include a residential grant program.

Town staff has been working with the Mount Albert Village Association, the East Gwillimbury Economic Development Advisory Committee and the public to build support for the program. A design charrette facilitated by the Planning Partnership helped gain public support said Stone.

In early 2015 the town will hold a statutory public meeting to designate a Community Improvement Plan for the area.

Through the CIP the town will be able to launch a range of tools that will help provide incentives to the private sector to invest in Mount Albert. One tool that is being considered initially is a building facade grant program.

“It’s designed to encourage an atmosphere that is welcoming to private sector investment in the downtown core,” said Stone.

Staff is also working on the development of a streetscape master plan, which will co-ordinate phased streetscaping improvements with planned capital projects. While work on this plan will start next year, this is a longer term project with actions happening over the next 10 years. The timelines for recommended actions will be determined based on the completion of this plan. They include revitalizing the Mount Albert Community Centre Park, improving key intersections and developing the Vivian Creek Lookout as a natural heritage feature.