Town askins for public feedback on Bolton downtown revitalization project

Written By ALYSSA PARKHILL

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Caledon's economic development team is in the process of working through the second stage of the Town's downtown revitalization project for Bolton. 

Caledon's Economic Development Strategy was adopted by the Council in March of this year, which included the plans to revamp the downtown core in Bolton. 

“The purpose of the Bolton downtown revitalization project is to boost overall economic well-being of the historic Bolton core area,” said Ben Roberts, Manager of Business Development, Tourism and Culture. “The research part of the project is already underway and considerable work has already been done to review relevant adopted studies, plans and policies.”

The plan's timeline includes research and stakeholder engagement, which will be taking place throughout October. A draft plan will be presented in December, with a public meeting to discuss the proposal to be scheduled by January. It's expected that a final report will be ready to be presented to Council by March. 

“Council and staff have been consulted to determine development/improvement limitations, outstanding actions, works completed to date and jurisdictional actions,” explained Roberts. 

The data that staff are collecting includes development applications, capital projects, vacancy rates, business mix and best practices for revitalization of comparable urban core areas stated Roberts. 

Currently the Town is looking for public input on the project through an online survey. 

“We strongly encourage anyone who lives, works or owns a business or property in downtown Bolton to take the survey and let us know what they think would make the downtown core a better place for residents, businesses and visitors,” said Roberts.

He noted that it was too soon to comments on responses already received. While there have been some submissions already, Roberts is hopeful that residents will take the time to provide feedback to ensure the project reflects the community's values and needs. 

“The process will culminate in a multi-year plan that utilizes the findings from existing policies, plans and studies, consultation and municipal best practises to recommend actions and specific tactics to revitalize the Bolton core area,” explained Roberts.