Unlike the City of Brantford where they’ve recently voted to demolish 40 heritage buildings in their historic downtown core, the Town of Collingwood has increasingly shown it’s respect for our heritage assets. 

On February 8th, council passed its first Heritage Tax Relief By-law.  Under this program, owners of significant heritage buildings can apply for a 10% refund on the municipal and education levy portions of their tax bill.  The Town has already identified qualifying properties and owners of these will be sent a notice advising them of this opportunity.

Collingwood also has another program that makes heritage grants available for the repair and restoration of heritage features of a building with funding of 50% up to a maximum of $3,000.00.

Both of these programs encourage heritage property owners to restore and maintain the heritage values of their buildings now and into the future.  As heritage is now very much recognized as having economic and environmental benefits, these programs make good sense to me.

Increasingly, we’ve seen a trend toward heritage preservation and restoration in Collingwood and I suspect much of this is due to the excellent work of both the Heritage Advisory Committee and the local branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario.  The controversial demolition of a landmark building a few years ago, brought the issue to the public forefront and heritage became a substantial issue during the last election campaign.  In recent years, we’ve seen more buildings designated as heritage buildings such as the old Connaught School/wellness centre on Napier Street.

There are a number of examples through-out the town of major heritage projects such as the one now taking place at the old “Ditson” house beside the Royal Bank on Hurontario Street.  The Joseph Lawrence house renovation was truly a labour of love and learning for the owners as was a smaller restoration project at 282 Ontario Street.  Perhaps the most prominent example though would be the outstanding restoration taking place of the Tremont Building beside the new library at Simcoe and St., Paul Streets.  The added layers of siding and paint have been removed to reveal the original brick work and architectural features.  Windows were replaced and resized to the original ones and, the roof top parapets and 8 chimneys have been rebuilt.  I think this project, more than any other, has taught us a big lesson about what IS possible and why it matters.  Even those who called for the building to be demolished are now it’s greatest enthusiasts.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “For every benefit you receive a tax is levied.”  How very true.

As municipalities across the Province struggle to establish budgets and tax rates, I can’t help but wonder how they ever arrive at a decision.  There are so many factors to consider and endless demands to entertain.  Councilors and staff need to consider reserves, debt ratios, debenture levels, user fees, development charges,  capital needs, infrastructure needs and future planning for capital repair IN ADDITION TO a long laundry list of ratepayers wants and needs.

When I read local blogs, letters to the editor or listen to conversations around town, there is a big disconnect in the public thinking about getting what you want but not wanting to pay for it.

Everyone is complaining about government spending.  Naturally, we all feel we are paying too much in property taxes and every time there is another expenditure approved, you can hear the howls of protest.  But at the very same time, you can watch the parade of people with hands out… more money for the animal shelter, hospital, CAS.  More fire fighters.  A roof over a rink or a second ice surface, a wellness centre, a new library, street repairs, free parking and more affordable housing.  Fix the sidewalks, plow the snow faster, build more trails. 

How is it that the very same people making monetary demands are often the very same people whinging about tax increases?  Don’t they get it?  This stuff costs money!

Every year, a consulting firm does a municipal comparison of tax rates for 81 municipalities in Ontario.  I found a copy of the complete study on the city of London website and if you take the time to actually scan through all 402 pages of this document, you might get a sense of just how complex taxation in Ontario proves to be.

You may be surprised to learn that Collingwood has the LOWEST relative tax burden for the Industrial class of all 81 municipalities surveyed.  You might not be surprised to learn that Wasaga Beach has one of the lowest relative tax burdens for residential taxes as a percent of household income.  Some other areas that caught my eye included the fact that Collingwood has average expenditures per capita ABOVE the average for fire and police services ( that is before the recent request to expand the number of firefighters) and, we have the HIGHEST expenditures per capita of all 81 municipalities for park operating costs.  The average is $40 per capita.  Wasaga Beach spends $45.00 and Collingwood spends $87.00.

My first reaction would be that I hope councilors read these reports before they make budget decisions.
My second reaction is that we spend too much on parks and, we tax industry too little.
My third thought is that perhaps this is all wrong.  Perhaps we spend more on policing and fire because we have a wider geographic area.  Perhaps we spend more on parks because we demand it to be so.  Perhaps having the lowest industrial tax rates helps in our economic development strategies and maybe that is why we are getting a big new industrial park.

The only thing I know for sure is that it must be incredibly challenging to set a municipal budget.  And I want my taxes to stop climbing.  And I want everything around town to be nothing short of perfect.

People who are moving to the Georgian Triangle area often ask about school information for the area. 

There are a wide range of choices in the public, separate and private sectors.  The first consideration is which County you will reside in.  Homes located in Grey County (including Blue Mountain, Meaford and Grey Highlands) fall under the Blue Water or Bruce-Grey District while properties in Simcoe County (including Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, Stayner and Creemore) fall into the Simcoe District.

Below is a list of options with links to each school website.  As of September, 2010, full-day Kindergarten will also now be offered at Admiral Public School, Clearview Meadows and St. Mary’s.

For those interested in school ratings, two links are provided at the end of this list.  Regardless of what they say, I can tell you that families in each of these schools are fiercely proud and will tell you that theirs is the best!

SIMCOE COUNTY

School Boards:
Public:   Simcoe County District School Board 
Catholic:    Simcoe – Muskoka Catholic District School Board

Extended French Programs offered at the following schools:
Admiral Collingwood
Collingwood Collegiate Institute

Schools in Collingwood:
Admiral Collingwood Elementary School  K – 8
Cameron Street Public School K – 8
Connaught Public School  K – 8
Mountainview Public School  K – 8
St. Mary’s Catholic School  K – 8

Collingwood Collegiate Institute (CCI)  Gr.  9 – 12
Jean Vanier Catholic High School  Gr.  9 – 12

Georgian College

Nottawa:   Nottawa Elementary School  K – 8
Duntroon:   Duntroon Central Public School   JK – 8
Creemore:   Nottawasaga & Creemore Public School  JK – 8

Stayner:
Clearview Meadows Elementary School  K – 8
Byng Public School  K – 8

Stayner Collegiate Institute (SCI)  Gr. 9 – 12

Wasaga Beach

Birchview Dunes Elementary School  K – 8
Worsley Elementary School K- 8
St. Noel Chabanel Catholic School  JK – 8

GREY COUNTY

School Boards
Public:  Bluewater District School Board
Catholic:  Bruce – Grey Catholic District School Board

Extended French Programs offered at the following schools:
Meaford Community School
St. Vincent-Euphrasia Elementary School
Georgian Bay Secondary School

Schools in Thornbury:  Beaver Valley Community School  JK – 8

Meaford:
St. Vincent-Euphrasia Elementary School   JK-5
Meaford Community School  JK – 8

Georgian Bay Secondary School   Gr.  9 – 12

Maxwell:  Osprey Central School JK – 8

Flesherton:  Grey Highlands Secondary School  Gr.  9 – 12

Private Schools:
Clearview Montessori School  Pre-school through Gr. 6
National Ski Academy 
Pretty River Academy Pre-school to Gr. 12
Silvercrest Christian School  JK – 8
Rocklyn Academy Special Needs, Female, Secondary

Check School Ratings and Reports:
Fraser Institute School Performance Reports (Ontario)
Search EQAO School Reports and Test Results

The Shipyards project in Collingwood was the winner of the Canadian Urban Institute’s 2009 CUI Brownie Awards (sponsored by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.) announced this week at a gala in Vancouver.
 
Named as the of “Best Large-Scale Project”  in the country, this waterfront development and was praised for its environmentally friendly initiatives  including the enhancement of an extensive wetland habitat along the shores of a harbour built with 100% recycled concrete and rock – and the creation of pedestrian and bike-only trails.

Developers FRAM Building Group and Slokker Real Estate deserve this recognition.  They took a former brownfield site and have turned it into an exciting, mixed-use residential/commercial community on our waterfront.  They have spent four years cleaning up the land that was contaminated by over 100 years of shipbuilding.  When completed, the project will feature approximately 600 apartment and townhome condominiums as well as commercial space extending Collingwood’s downtown to the waterfront.

One of the things I have liked most about these developers is their respect for the history of the site.  Shipbuilding was the heart and soul of Collingwood for over a century.  FRAM and Slokker took pains to involve the public in its planning and design process including focus groups and public meetings.  They honoured the site by the very choice of name – The Shipyards. The site will include significant amounts of green space through trails, wetlands with a fish habitat, an outdoor amphitheatre, parkland and public access to the waterfront.  It will also feature other amenities such as a new public square, boat-docking facilities and the incorporation of public art and historical artifacts in the public space.

Both construction of residential units and sales are well underway with first occupancies already in place at the site.  The sales office offers state of the art, interactive site plan information which you can play with online if you wish to get an idea of the plans available.

It’s been a long, long journey for The Shipyards to begin a second life in Collingwood.  I do believe it will be a jewel on the Great Lakes and a model for development that we will take pride in for many years to come.  My congratulations to the FRAM/Slokker team for winning this award – it is well deserved.

A beautiful sunny day, a catered lunch and brand-spanking new model homes to view – it doesn’t get much better than that for a Thursday afternoon.

The new Pretty River Estates  is located at the north east corner of the intersection of County Road 124 and Poplar Sideroad. 

The Lots:  71  – 50 foot lots; 53 – 45 foot lots and 44 semi-detached lots wind along the semi-rural site, bordered by 2 busy roads, a pond, a greenspace and an enclosed doggy park.  Several lots are available to accommodate walk-out basements and some premium lots back onto a trail and green space.  The aerial photo to the left shows the site quite clearly.

The houses: come in a wide variety of styles including verandas, garages and unique designs in semi-detached, bungalow, backsplit, two-storey and bungaloft designs, ranging from 1302 to 3011 square feet.  Two of the three model homes are smartly upgraded while the third has only a handful of upgrades which gives the viewer a good idea of what really does come included in the list price versus the upgraded (read=higher priced) ones.

The prices:  semis start in the mid to high $200,000’s; houses start at $307,990 to $468,990.  Phased development will occur, with first possession dates expected in the spring of 2010.  (The upgraded model homes are significantly higher than these prices climbing to over $700K with all the bells and whistles.)

As this new home development is fully co-operating with the local real estate community, Chris and I would be happy to show you these, or any other, new homes you might be interested in seeing.  We’ve each had experience with several new home sales recently and would love to help you find your next home.  This development will consider conditional offers (many will) and are currently offering a few incentives to new buyers.

The price of new homes in Collingwood are sure to rise over the next three years.  It’s all about growth.

Does growth pay for itself?  If the answer were yes, then towns like Collingwood, Wasaga Beach or Blue Mountain would be rolling in cash rather than facing record debt levels.  No, growth does not pay for itself and I doubt it ever will.

One of the tools a muncipiality has is to apply development charges (DC’s) against lots created.  Under the Provincial Development Charges Act,  it defines DC’s as being “charges against land to pay for increased capital costs required because of increased needs for services arising from development of the area.”  In plainer English, that means developers pay for things like roads, water-mains and sewers to service newly developed land.

Currently, Collingwood is preparing a new DC by-law that would potentially see fees more than doubling in the next three years.  They could climb from about $10,400 per lot to over $21,000 if approved.  Even at that, Collingwood would not be covering the true cost of infrastructure related to that growth.  That’s how expensive it is.  At the new rates, the town would still be in the average rates of DC’s charged around the province.

Surprisingly, some members of the local development community have agreed it is an increase that is necessary and overdue.  According to an article in the Enterprise-Bulletin newspaper, local developer Peter Osmond, representing the Georgian Triangle Development Institute, told council that an increase is necessary.
“The current rate is so out-of-date and so low that the opportunity to expand our infrastructure is virtually nil,” he said. “It is reasonable to build a solid infrastructure, and we support the phasing in; that’s prudent given the difficult economic climate.”

In my opinion, growth will never pay for itself however, development fees are a necessary charge in that direction and the failure to levy them is fiscally irresponsible.  For every dollar that a town does NOT levy against a developer  for infrastructure growth, a dollar is being charged to the existing tax payers of the community.  I’m tired of high taxes and the costs that have come from such fast and furious growth in Ontario.

I disagree with Chamber of Commerce President Rick Lloyd who feels development charges should not be implemented at this time due to economic volatility.   If a plan to increase the DC’s were deferred for a year of two, it would only mean that the financial burden would have to be borne by you and me instead of the developers.  That just seems wrong.  Wait a minute, it IS wrong.

What I do take issue with though is the idea of developers having to pay the DC’s at the time a site plan agreement is signed rather than when a building permit is issued.  Now that would halt development in a hurry.  It’s simply not reasonable.

At the end of the day, the people who buy new homes will see the cost passed on to them.  New house prices will have to rise.  It’s the price we pay for growth.  Well part of it anyway.

July 22, 2009 Update:  Thankfully, the draft by-law going before council on Monday night has been revised to remove the provision of having developers pay the DC’s when a subdivision agreement is signed.  After reviewing policies in surrounding area, staff have nixed this from the draft.  Whew.

The last week has been heavy with learning as I’ve attended a number of meetings and seminars. 

One featured a speaker from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) who spent a couple of hours educating a room full of REALTORS® about the property valuation process and governing legislation.  Another meeting featured Don Mathieson, the Mayor of Stratford as the guest speaker.  He was outstanding and inspiring as he told the story of how his community attracted a university through a public-private sector partnership of astounding cooperation and potential.  But it was the last meeting that really, really got me excited.

Robert Voigt is a Community Planner with the Town of Collingwood and he’s been charged with the task of developing Urban Design Standards for the community.  Before you gloss over, let me tell you that his work is of huge importance to your life.

I think that one of the things citizens of Collingwood and the Georgian Triangle struggle with is the growth pressures that arrived about a decade ago.  Our communities are growing and changing before our very eyes.  How we move about town, what we see, how we feel and our sense of place have all changed or been challenged.  As politicians changed, so did the directions of growth depending on the feelings of a majority of those 9 people sitting around the council table.  It would appear that is about to change.

Today, the town has committed to developing Urban Design Standards, not guidelines, that will become by-laws governing the future form of development in Collingwood.  At the same time, Collingwood has an existing Official Plan, a Strategic Plan,  a Sustainable Community Plan and soon a complete community plan to begin integrating all of these elements into a better decision making model and process.   If you have some time, it really is interesting to read through these links and they give great insight into the direction the town and area are heading.

But back to Robert and his project.  In his presentation, he said dozens of things that made my heart sing.  As the original chairperson of Collingwood’s Vision 2020 committee, I have a deeply felt interest in the way we will evolve and Robert’s work is a direct reflection of what people expressed during the visioning process almost a decade ago.  He talked about things like the height of buildings, the width of streets and the things make a town auto dependent verus pedestrian friendly.  With a few strokes of his pen, he took real examples of buildings in Collingwood that could be altered with small changes that would make huge differences.  He talked about intersections, trees, transit and public art.  He “de-layered” the town through a series of maps showing different aspects of the town.  One was waterways.  Did you know there are 16 points in this town where we cross water?  I had no idea.

So here’s my thought.  Go and read through the strategic plan, sustainability plan and complete community plan.  I promise it won’t take more than 20-30 minutes.  Then go to Robert’s blog and read through his posts.  I’ll bet you won’t be able to stop and it will get your heart beating as you begin to see his ideas and concepts in a very real and applicable way.  You’ll be glimpsing our near future.

Quick – when you think of Elora, Fergus or Niagara-on-the-lake, what do you see in your mind’s eye?  I think most people would agree that they see quaint old towns built on a foundation of heritage buildings and planning.  Take it further and think of places like England, Greece, Rome or Havana and you see living examples of the past that define the very values of the people who live there.  They just don’t make them like they used to, do they?

Closer to home, we have the Village at Blue where the built form of Intrawests development is a re-creation of Olde Ontario.  They know it sells.  But closer still, Collingwood is the real thing.  A true 19th century main street and a community dotted with buildings that harken back to ships captains, loggers and the railway.

Today, the town is becoming well known for its constant battles to protect that heritage.  The pressures of growth and development are often seen to be at odds with the desire for preserving the built form of our past.  Indeed, this very pull of two views became a cornerstone issue in the last election and it sure to be again in the next.  At very least, what Collingwood does have as of February 2009 is an official Heritage District protected by the Ontario Heritage Act of 2005.  Or is it?

In Ontario, planning decisions can be appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB)  which has often been accused in the past of not being very transparent or accountable in their decision making.  Although the current McGuinty government promised planning reforms to provide clearer direction on planning matters, they have, in my opinion, failed to bring about any meaningful changes.  A recent situation is a strong case in point and a wake-up call for heritage proponents right here at home.

Like Collingwood, the town of Port Dalhousie which is now part of St. Catherines, Ontario has a heritage district in their downtown core.  The village dates back to 1826 and today has a charming mid-to-late 19th century canal village streetscape.  In 2003, the town voted overwhelmingly to establish a Heritage District.  When the plan was approved, the OMB said, “ Board finds that : “..the process followed by the City has been a full public process and all requirements of the Province have been complied with.” and  “… the designation of the subject area as a Heritage Conservation District represents good planning.”

Just months later in the spring of 2004, developer PDVC came forward with a plan that included among other things, a 33 storey high condo tower despite the fact that both the city’s zoning by-law and heritage guidelines limited development to a maximum of 3 storeys.  (Sounds awfully familiar, doesn’t it?) The plan was later amended calling for a 20 storey condo tower among other things.   A group called PROUD  opposed the plan  and over the last 6 years, waged a costly battle to preserve their heritage district.

During a 71 day OMB hearing, the developer argued that the Heritage District guidelines of that community did not spell out height limitations.  They furthered argued that the economic benefits to be brought about by the development would serve to protect Port Dalhousie’s heritage in the long term.  On the flip side, heritage experts argued that of course the heritage plan would never contemplate 20 storeys and further, the zoning by-law prohibited development beyond three storeys.  They further stated that a claim of economic benefit was neither proven nor, was it is the jurisdiction of the OMB who was only to consider planning matters and not economics.

In the end, the OMB rendered what many consider to be a shocking decision by allowing the developers application.  Yes, for the first time in the history of the OMB, they agreed that a 20 storey condo tower was suitable in a low-rise heritage district and that it represented good planning.  The Ontario Ministry responsible for the Heritage Act and Provincial Policy Statement on heritage was nowhere to be found in the hearing.  They took no role in defending the very laws they had written.

No matter what side of the issue you may fall on, surely you can see the glaringly obvious facts here.  A 20 (or 17 or 10 or 8 ) storey building does not belong in a heritage district.  I don’t care what the economic justifications are.  If the laws are designed to protect the heritage of a few blocks here and there, then for land’s sake, do it. 

I can’t help but wonder how strong the HCD plan is in Collingwood.  Is it now vulnerable to this type of inappropriate development?

No, they don’t make them like they used to.  No, there is no such thing as “new heritage’ as a former Mayor of Collingwood once claimed.  In our relative infancy as a nation, Canada has a long way to go before it learns the lessons of the importance AND economic  value of preserving our heritage.  Based on this recent OMB decision, you can bet that in Ontario today, the government hasn’t learned that either.

I was so excited after reading a news release about the old Tremont Hotel building,  that it was hard to get to sleep.

As I mentioned in a previous post on the subject, the Tremont building has sat neglected and abandoned since the town purchased it several years ago with the intention of tearing it down for parking.  Since the building is located in the Heritage District and is considered to be an exceptional heritage asset, it would have been a horrible shame.  Thankfully, the current council stopped to reconsider that decision and ultimately put out a request for proposals to the public.

On Monday night, council accepted a proposal from Richard and Anke Lex.  Rick is a developer and also the current president of the local chapter of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario  and a noted heritage proponent within the community.   Anke is an artist specializing in gorgeous maiolica pottery.  The combination of their skills are a perfect fit for a plan that is an exciting model of combined heritage preservation and environmental sustainability.

According to the media release, “The project involves the preservation, restoration and revitalization of an important designated building in the Collingwood Heritage Conservation District and its adaptive reuse to provide commercial opportunities and live/work space for the creative sector.  The building will incorporate sustainable and environmental measures along with heritage preservation.  Some of the green energy components that the building will feature include solar PV and solar thermal as well as grey water recycling and heat recovery.”  I think the concept of live/work units is a fantastic approach that is sure to garner significant interest.

For the town, this plan may also solve the other problem residents have expressed about the lack of parking for the new library being built next door.  The Lex’s have confirmed that their plan allows the Town of Collingwood to retain over three quarters of the property for parking.  The Lex’s state that work is to commence this summer and that it will include restoration of the building’s 1889 façade. 

This is a wonderful example of an adaptive reuse of a heritage building that will have new life in a sustainable fashion.  Instead of becoming landfill, this landmark building is now destined toill become a jewel in the downtown core.

On another note, here’s an article from the local Enterprise Bulletin newspaper quoting the thoughts of yours truly on current market conditions.

Despite the fact that Collingwood is surely one of the prettiest towns in the province, the folks living in Olde Towne  would likely tell you that their view to the west is anything but pretty.

On the north side sits an empty lot and an abandoned, boarded up old rooming house.  On the south sits the neglected Tremont Hotel and the construction site for the new library. In the distance you see an auto body shop and overhead, a jumble of utility wires.  There is hardly anything redeeming in site.

There is however,  a new movement underway and this sad little corner downtown may soon become one of the more admired corners of our fair town.

First, the new library and municipal building is well underway now.  After an agonizing public delay and process, the new building will have a design that is sympathetic and in concert with the 19th century heritage stylings of our historic downtown.  Blending old and new, this fabulous library will earn the coveted Gold Level, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.
 
The Tremont was also the subject of much debate and discourse.  In recent years, this municipally owned building was falling deeper into disrepair (we call that demolition by neglect) while heritage enthusiasts pleaded for its survival.  Today, it is rumoured that the town has entered into an agreement with a private interest to restore the building into a mixed commercial-residential complex.  If so, it would be a perfect example of creative and adaptive reuse of  a building that preserves a cultural heritage asset and brings new life and function into its purpose.

Generally speaking, it seems that one or two new developments in an area spurs interest in improving other properties nearby.  Given the scale of these two large redevelopments at St. Paul and Simcoe, I think the folks in Olde Towne may have a much better view ahead.