Vibrant Downtowns
Healthy, vibrant downtowns attract visitors, stimulate the economy, provide recreational opportunities for all ages, and are a statement of the community identity.
In the Severn Sound watershed:
- Downtowns play a central role in the communities that have them.
- Communities consider vibrant downtowns to be important to their success, as noted in several policy documents reviewed, particularly Official Plans. Official Plans include policies that:
- encourage infill development in the downtown (Orillia)
- encourage compact form and design that fosters a pedestrian environment (Orillia)
- call for improvements to public transit, walking and cycling trails (Midland)
- seek to improve the built form and public realm of downtowns (Severn Township)
- Downtowns are places for youth activities.
- Revitalization of downtown areas was identified as an opportunity in the North Simcoe Regional Economic Development Strategy (2006)
- Charting Our Future, which applies to Orillia, Severn and Oro-Medonte, includes several strategies focused on downtowns.