Richmond Hill Moves Forward with Downtown Revitalization

To enhance the vision for Richmond Hill’s downtown area and unlock the potential for the downtown as the civic heart of the community, Richmond Hill Council adopted the Downtown Local Centre Secondary Plan. The Downtown Local Centre Secondary Plan area is bounded by Harding Boulevard in the south and Levendale Road in the north, including properties on the east and west sides of Yonge Street. The Downtown Local Centre Secondary Plan further articulates the policies of the Official Plan and will help guide future development in this area and build on its historical characteristics and strengths. This Plan is the first step to implementing the vision for a vibrant downtown area, providing direction to encourage mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly, transit-supportive, sustainable redevelopment. The Plan will also establish public realm policies to guide the creation of parks and urban squares, urban plazas, a linked system of courtyards and streetscapes to enhance pedestrian connections within Richmond Hill’s downtown. The comments received through the written and verbal submissions at the Wednesday, February 3, 2016 Council Public Meeting, the web-based comment period, and the various meetings between staff and stakeholders, were considered by staff when finalizing this Secondary Plan for Council adoption. The implementation of this Plan will ensure that Richmond Hill’s downtown continues to be a place where people of all ages can live, work and play. For more information, contact Michelle Dobbie, Senior Planner (Policy), at 905-771-2467. 

Richmond Hill’s Vibrant Community Continues to Thrive

Now in its fifth year of implementation, Council received a presentation from staff outlining Richmond Hill’s most recent cultural achievements. The presentation highlighted the wide variety of projects and initiatives undertaken by staff, including the pilot Sidewalk Poetry initiative, the Museum Feasibility Study, a Digital Storytelling Workshop, the third annual Cultural Summit, and mentoring the Council for Richmond Hill Emerging Artists and Teen Expression (CREATE) group. In addition, the Community and Cultural Grant Program provided support to 19 community and cultural organizations and individual artists whose work supported a more vibrant Richmond Hill. The goal of the Cultural Plan is to enhance and promote cultural activity and creative expression within Richmond Hill between 2012 and 2022. There are five goals that frame the Cultural Plan: 1. demonstrated leadership, 2. a dynamic cultural centre, 3. an inclusive cultural community, 4. places and spaces for culture, and 5. a celebrated story. The outcomes of the Plan’s implementation help create a more vibrant Richmond Hill by respecting the past, developing a sense of identity and place, and looking to the future. It also provides opportunities and places for people to connect and get involved in their community. For more information about the Cultural Plan, visit RichmondHill.ca/CulturalPlan or contact Darlene Joslin, Director, Recreation & Culture, at 905-771-2423.

Richmond Hill One Step Closer to a People Place in the Centre of Town

The Civic Precinct project – the creation of a People Place at the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Major Mackenzie Drive – moved another step forward at a Special Council meeting on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. Council approved the financial plan, governance structure and staffing requirements for the project, which will be an all-season community space with new municipal offices, an expanded Central Library and public gathering areas for the community. The current municipal offices at 225 East Beaver Creek Road are expected to exceed capacity by 2023. The Civic Precinct Project will move local government to the centre of Richmond Hill and provide the capacity for future growth to serve residents. It is also expected to be a catalyst for downtown revitalization, since it provides a destination and a workplace that will draw hundreds of people to the downtown every day. Through numerous public consultations, including the visioning process conducted in 2012, the residents of Richmond Hill made it clear that a central gathering space is needed for the community. The project includes a public square, amphitheatre, pedestrian plazas, skating rink/reflecting pool, underground parking and a children’s garden. The nine-year project will begin with Richmond Hill hiring the expertise required to manage all aspects of the project, followed by a functional planning exercise to determine the requirements and uses for the space and the new municipal building, site and building design. The construction phase of the Civic Precinct project is expected to take three years and is projected to be completed in 2026. The financial plan states an estimated project cost of $233 million inclusive of inflation over the nine-year timeframe. Richmond Hill has funding in place for approximately 80 per cent of the cost through development charges, federal gas tax grants and other reserve funds. The approved financial plan calls for the remaining $45 million to be funded through debt financing. This loan will be paid back over 25 years. For more information, contact Neil Garbe, Chief Administrative Officer, at 905-747-6366 or Mayor Dave Barrow at 905-771-2493.

The next Committee of the Whole Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at 4:30 p.m. and the next Council Meeting is Monday, March 27, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. Both meetings will be held in Council Chambers.