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.
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Tags: collingwood shipyards, The Shipyards
