What is a Downtown?
Downtowns are concentrated urban areas that allow for the efficient use of land and municipal resources for the social and economic benefit of the community. A vibrant mix of residential, commercial and public uses creates an energetic mass that can become a source of community pride and identity. Large or small, well-defined and healthy Downtowns create a sense of place that yields benefits in terms of improving the quality of life for residents, creating a strong investment environment, and supporting growth.
Encouraging Sustainable Development
A concentration of development also yields benefits in terms of offering more sustainable forms of development. When community services and amenities become walkable, higher density housing options can become more feasible. Apartments and townhomes, which are less costly and require less maintenance than a single-detached home, become more viable. This in turn helps populate and animate streets, taking growth pressure off suburban areas, reducing traffic, and improving safety. Higher density housing forms also expand the choice of accommodations, increasing the attractiveness of the community to a broader range of prospective residents.
Creating a Sense of Place in the Community
Downtowns offer a logical opportunity as a place for community events. This aids in building community pride and identity and allows for improved social cohesion with opportunities to meet and connect with neighbours and other community members.
Public spaces in the Downtown, both indoor and outdoor, are typically very important for programming to attract people to the area and provide a space for community events. Consistent programming is key, and ongoing events drive positive awareness of the area and the wider Town for both residents and tourists. Downtowns with a range of retail, commercial, and programming options that span all seasons and appeal to the widest mix of people, including families and children, ensures that the area remains animated and thrives throughout the year.
History of the "Main End" of Wasaga Beach
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Land Where Two Waters Meet |
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The lands that Wasaga Beach have been home to many indigenous communities including the traditional land of the Anishinaabeg and Saugeen Ojibway and home to the Algonquin First Nation and Huron-Wendat First Nation who allied with the French during the explorative years of Samuel de Champlain. By the mid-1630s the Huron-Wendat has become one of the most important suppliers of furs to the French. They were eventually displaced in 1649 by the English and Dutch-allied Haudenosauneee (Iroquois) after Great Lakes Indigenous nations were decimated by epidemics. The word Nottawasaga is of Algonquin origin meaning "Iroquois at Mouth of the River" which Algonquin scouts would use to warn of Iroquois raiding parties approaching local villages. The relationship between the Nottawasaga River which meanders through town and Lake Huron is significant when considering the historical role that the "Main End" of the Wasaga Beach has played in the story of establishing Upper Canada and the fur trade. The Main End also played a role in the early nineteenth century as a strategic location during the War of 1812 and the establishment of our very own, Nancy Island. The Main End has had a special place in early Canadian history as well as our local history. |
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Welcome to the World's Longest Freshwater Beach |
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Due to the sandy soil of Wasaga Beach it made it an unsuitable location for early cultivation and settlement. The forests were suitable for early logging industries but ultimately most suited for vacationers. The white sandy shore of South Georgian Bay was a welcome site for family picnics and holidays, made popular in the decades following World War 2. Wasaga Beach grew to become a world-renowned tourist destination, boasting of being home to the World's Longest Freshwater Beach. Main Street began to flourish as a tourism hub in the community with motels, malls, restaurants, arcades, attractions and events. The combined access to world-class natural assets, centralized positioning within the region, accelerated economic growth, engaged community, and dedicated tourism base was a recipe for success. |
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The Great Fire of 2007 |
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On November 30, 2007, a major fire destroyed much of the flourishing privately-owned tourism properties along the Main End crippling the local economy in the years that followed. 90% of the buildings were destroyed and many more negatively impacted from indirect impacts the fire made on local tourism and the economy overall. Continued degradation, seasonality, regional competition and monoculture demographics stifled any immediate economic rebound. |
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Early Privatized Efforts to Revitalize the Main End |
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A developer purchased many of the waterfront properties in 2008/09 with a plan for re-development. Proposed in 2009, the Blue Beach Avenue Development called for a $500 Million, 15-year development program, including a 250-unit four season Waterpark Hotel, a 200-unit full service resort hotel, a 70,000 square foot Family Entertainment Attraction, a 120,000 square foot retail and foodservice commercial development and a 625-unit resort residential development. Proponents of the project purchased many of the existing businesses along the waterfront for enterprise value in order to develop the lands, however, they ran into financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy in 2010. Since that time, there have been a number of development plans and studies which have examined various levels of hospitality and tourism development initiatives for Wasaga Beach. These development programs have ranged from an extensive mixed-use, four season resort development on Beach Areas 1 and 2 to stand-alone accommodation developments. |
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Town Steps in as Investor |
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In 2015, the Town of Wasaga Beach took the bold initiative to purchase over 70% of the commercial properties at Beach Areas 1 and 2 becoming an extensive landowner in this area of the community. On March 22, 2016 the Town announced that it had secured a $150,000 grant through the Tourism Development Fund from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport to develop a Downtown Development Master Plan. Developing this plan represented the first important step as the Town moves forward with the creation of a new downtown that would deliver a unique, vibrant, and authentic place to live, which will help to catalyze redevelopment of the tourism industry and physical redevelopment of the beachfront and larger downtown area. Council finally approved the Downtown Destination Management Plan on March 28, 2017. |
Downtown Development Master Plan
Great Downtowns Don't Appear Organically
Developing an effective downtown takes time and calculated persistence from many stakeholders, both public and private. The Master Plan would help to design, coordinate and inform decisions on how best to pave the landscape to make meaningful and sustainable downtown development in Wasaga Beach.
Geographic area of the Downtown:
The following image delineates the Downtown Boundary:
| Charting a New Course for Wasaga Beach: Downtown Development Master Plan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Town of Wasaga Beach commissioned FORREC Limited to develop the Downtown Development Master Plan. The firm worked with N. Barry Lyon Consultants Limited, CBRE Tourism and Leisure Group and J.C. Williams Group over a 4-month community engagement process. The plan was to develop a sustainable and practical plan for a more livable, diversified, competitive, sophisticated, accessible, and sustainable "Downtown Wasaga Beach" including the redevelopment of the battered Main End. The following have been identified as core principles in the Downtown design:
The final Downtown Development Master Plan can be viewed here. The background studies were developed to support the creation of this plan were as follows:
Staff Reports
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| Downtown Districts at a Glance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Downtown Development Master Plan outlines the following core Downtown Districts to be included in the design.
These Districts describe a relationship between Main Street connecting the Beach to the Downtown proper. The following image illustrates the Downtown Districts described in the DDMP.
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| Follow-up Studies and Projects | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Prior to any development occurring in the downtown area an environmental assessment of Beach Drive and the other roads in the area along with other background studies is required. This is a normal part of preparing lands for development. Follow-up initiatives that have been undertaken are as follows:
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Beachfront District
Envisioned to bring back the “Fun” to Wasaga Beach, the Beach District will be the entertainment activity centre of Wasaga Beach. Taking a cue from it’s cultural heritage, the Beach District will bring back family and indoor entertainment to diversify the activities offered ensuring that the beach is a dependable destination through bad weather and through the off season. By strengthening the beach as a destination, the town reinforces the synergy held between the beach and town to create a sustainable entity.
| The Hunt for a Developer |
Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI)In April 2017, town council authorized a Request for Expression of Interest (RFEOI) seeking development partners to work with the town on the development of the downtown and beachfront. In May 2017, the Downtown Steering Committee and the RFEOI Review Committee undertook a review of the proposals and FRAM/Slokker scored the highest. Based on the review, the Downtown Steering Committee passed a resolution recommending FRAM/Slokker as the preferred developer. This was subject to due diligence. Due DiligenceA third party audit took place to ensure the FRAM Building Group (FRAM) had the financial strength to carry out the project to the satisfaction of the town. On July 20, 2017, Committee of the Whole granted conditional approval to FRAM to be the development partner with the town for town-owned lands in the Downtown and Beach Area 1 and 2, subject to the third party audit. The audit resulted in a positive report. On Dec. 12, 2017, General Government Committee recommended working with FRAM on the creation of a development agreement. Work on this commenced. Letter of Intent (LOI)On July 6, 2018, Committee of the Whole recommends that a binding Letter of Intent (LOI) be prepared and entered into with FRAM. The LOI was approved on July 24, 2018. Feedback from ElectorateA new council was sworn in on December 5, 2018 amid local concerns over the downtown development. The majority of council heard a common theme during the election campaign.
Given the feedback from the electorate and Council's desire to represent all of the residents and businesses of Wasaga Beach, Council permitted the Letter of Intent to lapse with FRAM as of Dec. 31, 2018. The town in June 2019 issued a revised Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI) for the development of Beachfront District based on the input from the development community, the needs of the community, the provisions in the Downtown Development Master Plan, and best practice. This decision allowed Town resources to benefit DDMP objectives as well as support other neighbourhoods in the community who contribute to the tax base. Revised RFEOIOn Sept. 23, 2019, we announced the Town of Wasaga Beach received nine submissions from organizations interested in developing town-owned property at the main beachfront. Request for Proposal (RFP)On Nov. 12, 2020, we announced the Town of Wasaga Beach was issuing an RFP to the six firms short-listed through the RFEOI process. RFP ReviewDevelopers were required to submit their proposals by February 2021. An evaluation team reviewed and scored the submissions. The evaluation team consisted of Mayor Nina Bifolchi, CAO George Vadeboncoeur, director of public works Kevin Lalonde, and director of planning and economic initiatives Doug Herron. The town retained a “fairness monitor” to ensure the fairness of the evaluation process. This individual attended evaluation team meetings during the scoring of proposals and related closed session council presentations. Each proponent had to make a presentation to council in closed session and this was subjected to scoring by members of council. Scores from the evaluation team and council made up the total score. Preferred developer selectedAt the May 20, 2021 Committee of the Whole meeting, committee considered the next steps in the redevelopment of town-owned land at the main beachfront. The town’s evaluation team identified Slate Asset Management L.P. as the preferred company to develop municipal property at the waterfront, just south of Beach Drive. Committee unanimously approved Slate Asset Management L.P. as the preferred developer and authorized staff to assemble a team to negotiate with Slate the purchase and sale terms for the property. This was ratified by council on May 25, 2021. Negotiations start with BaylocOn Jan. 28, 2022, the town announced purchase and sale negotiations with Slate Asset Management L.P. for the redevelopment of town-owned land at the beachfront had concluded. “Unfortunately, the town and Slate are unable to reach an agreement on the final purchase price of these lands and our negotiations are at an end,” chief administrative officer George Vadeboncoeur said. “We thank Slate for their interest in the project, the professionalism they displayed, and the good faith in which they negotiated.” Talks then started with Bayloc Developments Inc., the town's second preferred developer, identified through the RFP process in 2021. Update: June 2022On June 30, 2022, we provided the community with an update on the negotiation process, noting the negotiation period was extended to July 21. Update: July 2022On July 22, 2022, we provided an update on negotiations, saying they will continue for another 30 days. Update: August 2022The Town of Wasaga Beach is pleased to announce that council has agreed to sell town-owned land at the beachfront to Bayloc Developments Inc. with Zancor as a partner, subject to a maximum 120-day due diligence period. Beachfront redevelopment concept drawings are also now available for review. Learn more about the concept drawings. See concept drawings on what's proposed for the beachfront. Update: December 2022The Town of Wasaga Beach and Bayloc Developments Inc. have concluded their due diligence period and despite best efforts have not been able to agree on a timeline for the project. As a result, the agreement will not be finalized and talks have concluded. Read the news release to learn more. In the New Year, council will consider next steps for the town-owned properties. Q&ARead our Question and Answer for a look at the redevelopment process. Staff Reports and presentations
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Lower Main
Lower Main will become the centre of Wasaga Beach’s year round residential population and serve as the community’s social gathering place - a place to live, work and play. Lower Main is characterized by a concentration of employment, retail and residential units in a compact mixed-use form that will create the critical mass of people and uses to create a vibrant and successful core. Lower Main is walkable in scale where the majority of daily trips can be undertaken on foot or on bicycle. While placing an emphasis on the pedestrian, Lower Main will also be a multi-modal hub.
Upper Main (Downtown Gateway)
Upper Main will be a transition area from the more suburban built form found along River Road West and at Stonebridge. Mixed-use development is encouraged in Upper Main; however, the ground floor retail/commercial experience can contain larger floor plates than Lower Main. Additionally, ground floor uses can be more service oriented and not as focused on experiential retail uses. Auto-oriented uses such as drive-throughs should be prohibited along the entire length of Main Street.
Contact Information
George Vadeboncoeur
Chief Administrative Officer
Town of Wasaga Beach
30 Lewis Street, Wasaga Beach
Ontario, Canada L9Z 1A1
T. 705-429-3844 x2222
F. 705-429-6732
E-Mail this contact
Doug Herron
Director of Planning & Economic Initiatives
Town of Wasaga Beach
30 Lewis Street, Wasaga Beach
Ontario, Canada L9Z 1A1
T. 705-429-3847 x2283
F. 705-429-7603
E-Mail this contact
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