Collingwood Council recently passed the "Downtown Heritage Conservation District Plan" which provides for clearly defined regulations governing both development in the designated Heritage District as well as the restoration or renovation of any buildings within said district. The fact that this plan was passed unanimously suggests that all members of Council have finally embraced both the direct and in-direct value(s) that preserving Collingwood's signifcantly historic buildings have on the economic well-being of the community. The following quotation was taken directly from the "plan"
"The District is integral to the preservation of Collingwood’s identity and origin as a small, 19th century Ontario, waterfront town. It is also critical to the long-term economic vitality of the community."
In my posting of February 4th see "Collingwood Makes News in The U.K." I mentioned a recent article from the Financial Times wherein Collingwood's 19th century downtown was deemed to be on the many attractions of our area. Further, in passing the "Downtown Heritage Conservation District Plan" Council also passed a resolution of support for Heritage Canada Foundation's effort to call on the federal government to establish tax incentives for the rehabilitiation of heritage buildings. Funding to do this locally via Collingwood's heritage grants comes solely from the municipality's coffers.
Heritage conservation has been a thorny issue in the past stemming from the proposed 6 storeys of the now "on-hold" Admiral Collingwood project. Perhaps this newly adopted plan will serve to guide future development in the designated downtown core consistent with preserving the past in such a manner as to avoid future conflicts.
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