Press release.
Guelph City Council has approved the secondary plan for the 436 hectare (1,077 acre) plot of land known as the Guelph Innovation District located South of York Rd. and East of Victoria Rd. N. which is expected to be home to close to 7,000 people and 9,000 jobs. The plan includes an innovative mix of land uses, including a new urban village, a mixed-use main street, a research park and an adaptive re-use area around the historic reformatory complex.
The one-of-a-kind development pays careful attention to the conservation and adaptive reuse of existing cultural heritage resources such as the decommissioned Guelph Correctional Centre and the protection and enhancement of the site’s extensive natural heritage system, including the Eramosa River valley and Clythe Creek. The plan also includes improvements to transportation infrastructure such as trails and cycling paths, encouraging alternative modes of transportation supporting mobility within the district and between neighbourhoods.
“The Guelph Innovation District plays a critical role in achieving Guelph’s overall city-building vision, and creatively integrates and advances a number of other community driven initiatives, such as the Community Energy Initiative and Prosperity 2020,” says Todd Salter, General Manager of Planning Services. “An exhaustive community and stakeholder engagement process involving input from multiple City departments, residents, local organizations, business and development leaders, landowners and other levels of government, has resulted in a plan for the Guelph Innovation District that has truly been crafted by the Guelph community.
“We have been successful in reaching this stage thanks to the support of our community partners, land owners and fellow government offices,” says Peter Cartwright, General Manager, Guelph Economic Development. “We look forward to continuing to work with the Province of Ontario through the next stage of development and create attractive investment opportunities for our targeted business sectors.” Intended business uses for this land include the environmental and agriculture technology sectors and communication and creative media companies.