Council endorses, in principle, a 'bold' vision for waterfront

City councillors have agreed - in principle - to support a “bold” multi-year plan that reimagines various components of the Lake Couchiching waterfront.

The plan calls for the pedestrianization of Terry Fox Circle, a permanent kayak launch, improvements to the Rotary Aqua Theatre, a new splash pad at Couchiching Beach Park, the retention of the boat launch with some parking/landscaping modifications, development of a new ‘landmark’ conservatory, the creation of a refrigerated skate trail, the expansion of the skatepark, an art plaza at Veterans' Park to serve as a park gateway from Mississaga Street and various other improvements.

As a result of council committee’s decision (which is subject to ratification at Monday’s council meeting), specific, phased-in elements of the plan will be brought forward to budget deliberations in the coming years for approval.

At that time, council will have an opportunity to debate, tweak and/or reject the components.

For example, this year - as part of the 2021 budget deliberations - councillors will be asked to debate the merits of building a new Dr. Seymour Greenhouse Conservatory and developing a new skate trail.

Each, according to ball-park estimates from the consultants, is expected to cost more than $1 million. It has been previously estimated the skate trail would cost about $3 million.

Terry Fox Circle upgrades - estimated to cost up to $200,000 - will also be contemplated during this year’s budget cycle.

Eliza Oprescu, an associate landscape architect for Studio TLA - the consultant the city hired in the spring of 2019 and paid $75,000 - provided an overview of the consultants' 131-page report Monday night as part of a five-hour council committee meeting.

She said the “bold” plan is the result of extensive input from the community. She estimated about 250 people either attended a public meeting or provided comments via surveys or online.

Discussion around the virtual council table made it clear that not all elected officials liked all of the key elements.

For example, several councillors said they were against the idea of closing Terry Fox Circle to vehicular traffic.

Coun. Mason Ainsworth said, overall, the plan is “very exciting … (with) a ton of phenomenal stuff. However, I don’t support the closing of Terry Fox Circle,” he said, adding it’s “important we do keep that open.”

Councillors Pat Hehn and Rob Kloostra expressed similar concerns. But Coun. Ted Emond asked his peers to put aside their “personal views.”

Emond noted that “research underpins” the consultants’ call for pedestrianization, noting there is a “richness of data” that should be relied on to make “evidence-based decisions rather than emotion-based decisions.”

But Coun. Tim Lauer questioned the data, wondering if “in a town of 35,000, (input from) 250 people” is enough. He encourages people to weigh in this week prior to the ratification of the decision at Monday's meeting.

Oprescu said input received from citizens in Orillia was greater than other similar projects in other communities.

The four-metre wide refrigerated skate trail also divided council - as it has when the concept has been rejected over the past two budget cycles. Last year, however, councillors did approve spending about $60,000 on a study of the concept.

Ainsworth and Coun. Jay Fallis both spoke against the refrigerated skate trail, but Emond tried to rally support for the idea. He noted the city is “spending $15-$20 million on infrastructure to bring the park system closer to the city and integrate it to our downtown.”

He says the waterfront park is a “stranded asset that sits there for five months a year” being unused. He said a skate trail would help the city earn a “return on that investment” and also noted that “every single consultant that has advised us on the waterfront/downtown the last 10 years has recommended a skate trail,” adding it’s been “an absolute consistent message.”

The idea to retain the skatepark and refurbish is also elicited differing opinions - as did the decision to retain the boat launch at its current location, albeit with some parking and landscaping modifications.

Coun. Ralph Cipolla questioned the merits of that element of the plan.

Ray Merkley, the city’s manager of community services, said several locations for the boat launch have been explored over the years.

He said the boat launch is “viewed as a valuable asset” that is needed “somewhere in the park system … and the best idea is to keep it where it is.”

He said there are ways to design the parking lot and trailer parking areas to improve pedestrian traffic and minimize use by larger boats. Such elements can be debated during future meetings when specific components are being decided, he noted.

You can view the full report on the city's website here. You can also watch a recording of last night's virtual meeting on Rogers TV's website.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the key elements of the plan, taken from the consultants' report.

Terry Fox Circle

The Terry Fox Circle will be upgraded as primarily a pedestrian ramble that would be available to be opened up to vehicular traffic for special events.

The Circle would be enlivened as a historic walk that would support more public art and the inclusion of historical storyboards.

The pedestrianization of Terry Fox Circle will assume land from the automobile, allowing for an expanded park setting rather than another road. This will also improve safety for pedestrians. Parking in this area would be relocated and expanded to the west.

These proposed changes will increase picnic areas around the site and encourage family functions and leisurely people-watching and will include abundant seating around the Circle

It is also recommended that the boat and trailer parking strategy expands focus to consider resources outside of the park, as there is very limited ability to provide this parking within the park.

Dr. Seymour Conservatory

The study supports the replacement of the existing parks greenhouse and recommends a conservatory with public access. The opportunity for the Dr. Seymour Conservatory to become an educational centrepiece and landmark for the city was strongly supported. This building will continue to provide plants and flowers for the city’s parks and greenspaces.

Centennial Park

Centennial Park, in the central portion of the public waterfront, is an area of significant activity. The area is important to boat, vehicular, pedestrian and cyclist activity and is an important hub of the park. The key design priorities in this area include improved connectivity to the downtown core, the retention of the boat launch and the expansion of amenities.

The design scheme proposes a circulation and parking strategy to address boat launch logistics. A landscape buffer is also proposed between the parking lot and adjacent pedestrian travel as well as additional trees throughout the area.

Food options

The study identified that food options are currently limited within the park. The historic French’s food stand area is an important park feature. Design changes in this area will ensure that this historic location will be given prominence and the area will support more tables and chairs and provide terraced seating within the slopes for park users.

The area will be expanded to support additional food vendor spots and would be the recommended relocation site for current seasonal food vendors. It would also be a vision that these food vendors could operate on a year-round basis

Port of Orillia

Amendments to this area focus on the expansion of the plaza area and the potential for additional publicly available seasonal boat slips where the previous old fishing pier once stood.

The study supports the city’s investment in planning and design for a proposed skate trail. The current lack of winter activities were identified in this study and past studies. The need to incorporate more seasonal activities within this area, particularly near the renovated Port of Orillia and Orillia Waterfront Centre is an important finding. The final design includes a skate trail loop within Centennial Park that will increase seasonal amenities and expand use into the winter season.

Veterans' Memorial Park

This area is rejuvenated through design suggestions that include interpretive signage and cultural showcases and a focus on providing better access and cohesion across the site.

The re-imagined area will be an important entrance to the waterfront parks, from the downtown core.

Development along the waterfront, the realignment of Centennial Drive and the townhouses at 144 Elgin St. will shape the adjacencies that encircle Veterans’ Memorial Park. The study also concluded that improvements and modernization of the existing skate park is an important factor to ensure the future success of this area.

COST

Although detailed cost estimation is required at the time of detailed design, an estimated costing for each proposed improvement is provided below (these are estimates provided prior to detailed design and should be considered only for informational purposes).

Most Expensive: Greater than $1M: