This story was previously posted on StratfordToday.ca.
Stratford is getting the message as to what the public wants the Grand Trunk Renewal project to be, and that message is varied in scope according to a management report submitted to city council on September 23.
In presenting the report, city Chief Administrative Office Joan Thomson said they are moving forward thoughtfully to ensure that each step is carefully planned to create a lasting, positive impact for the community.
“The city is exploring temporary uses and activations for the Grand Trunk site, and by facilitating events like art installations, tours, and performances, it can safely bring residents onto the site, raising awareness and demonstrating its potential value while laying the groundwork for long-term revitalization,” she said. “Stratford has a unique and valuable opportunity with the Grand Trunk site, and its ownership of this prime location near downtown underscores the importance of getting the development right. Multiple partners, including nonprofits, government institutions, educational partners and private businesses will play a critical role in providing the necessary investment and services, ensuring a positive contribution to our community through new community assets and tax revenues once the site is developed.”
Among the most repeated feedback is the public’s desire to see the space as more sustainable and resilient, while having a dynamic downtown at the same time. There were requests for formal and informal spaces, which Thomson helped to more clearly define.
“Formal community spaces are things that would be bookable or spaces suited for certain types of programming like meeting rooms, multi-purpose rooms, gymnasiums and auditoriums,” she said. “Informal spaces are not programmed, so that would be lobby spaces, lounges and parkettes.”
One of the themes that kept surfacing in the report was the desire for partnerships, given that they would enable the municipality to draw on their expertise and help to ensure the project’s sustainability. At the current time, Thomson said the city has the YMCA and University of Waterloo as its only official partners.
“Council directed the ad-hoc committee to consider a location for the Stratford Public Library, which is currently being explored,” she said. “The redevelopment project will also require development partners and investment from other levels of government to deliver community benefits. The city is actively researching, exploring and assessing a variety of partnership models. A future management report will seek direction from council on the preferred partnership model.”
With sustainability and environmentally friendly buildings becoming more desired, the report also reflects that as a major check mark people are looking for the city to tick. Also, there were multiple references to the project having ‘innovative uses’ that would assist the municipality in generating new revenue streams. Some of those include:
- An indoor playground or waterpark
- A community kitchen, which would be idea for hosting events and cooking classes
- A mixed-use community centre with spaces for art workshops and small concerts
- Affordable studio spaces for local artists to help foster creativity
- Affordable housing with rooftop gardens could address both housing and environmental concerns
To help paint a better picture of what the site could become, Thomson indicated the city has a list of activation ideas that have been proposed with each targeting a specific group within the community – something that has energized staff.
“The city is excited to be working on this,” she said. “The Communications, Advocacy and Civic Engagement (CACE) working group prepared a report on the types of activities we’re pursuing. Now we need to develop a process to streamline the activations.”
The list from the CACE working group can be found here.
