Council will consider a staff report on the Downtown Secondary Plan, which contains a comprehensive vision to revitalize downtown Guelph over the next 20 years.
The plan addresses the province’s requirements for managing urban growth, and calls for significant residential development to complement more commercial and employment uses in the City’s core.
“The Downtown Secondary Plan reflects the City’s longstanding goal to support the downtown’s vibrancy and vitality by attracting more people and jobs to downtown,” said Todd Salter, acting general manager of planning services. “It further promotes reconnection to the Speed River as a vital, community-wide asset. It also reinforces the historic character of downtown while responsibly and creatively planning for growth.”
“The Downtown Secondary Plan represents a compelling vision for our downtown core and is a key City policy that will enable us to attract new public and private-sector investment,” said Ian Panabaker, corporate manager of downtown renewal. “Guelph’s new Market Square and the soon-to-be opened Guelph Central Station have already begun to build momentum downtown not seen during the last 20 years.”
Since early 2010, the City’s planning department has extensively consulted with community members and stakeholder groups through Open Houses and workshops to help set directions and principles for the Downtown Secondary Plan.