NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF ORILLIA
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The Waterfront Redevelopment Project has reached a major milestone with shortlisted proponents submitting their Request for Proposals (RFP) in a bid to purchase the municipally-owned lands for redevelopment.
Revitalization is coming to 70 Front St. N. and the City of Orillia is seeking resident feedback on the redevelopment visions submitted by the qualified proponents.
View the waterfront redevelopment virtual open house video, review the redevelopment concepts and complete the online survey between April 9 to 18, 2021 to provide your feedback on the vision.
This round of public input will complete the feedback loop contributing to the project, and follows more than a dozen community consultation opportunities that have led to the current project, including consultations undertaken through the Downtown Tomorrow Plan, the Centennial Drive Reconstruction Project, the Port of Orillia Area Public Realm Plan, the Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan and site-specific Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendment applications.
“The redevelopment of the strategically located property at 70 Front St. N. is a great opportunity to better connect our historic downtown with our beautiful waterfront and bring new residents and businesses to the core of the city. After years of feedback and public consultation about the future of Orillia’s downtown and waterfront, we are very excited to reach this milestone where the vision comes into focus,” said Mayor Steve Clarke.
“The RFP process has helped guide and shape the redevelopment so that it matches and further enhances the character of Orillia and meets the development principles as determined by previous public consultation," said Clarke.
The City of Orillia released its RFP for approximately 8.6 acres of land adjacent to Orillia’s waterfront for future redevelopment in December 2020. Two qualified proponents, FRAM Building Group and TPI Acquisitions (Tribal Partners), submitted proposals in response to the City’s RFP. The proposals are being carefully evaluated by the City of Orillia for both technical and financial submission requirements as defined in the RFP.
Public feedback will further inform the evaluation of the proposals and final negotiations with the preferred proponent. Overall, in the present phase of evaluation, the proposals will be evaluated through the paramount requirements of technical and financial scoring that were developed, in part, through previous phases of public consultation.
To ensure the future redevelopment meets the shared vision of Council and the community as established through public input opportunities over the years, the Waterfront Working Group, which consists of Mayor Clarke, Coun. Tim Lauer, Coun. Ted Emond, Coun. Ralph Cipolla and City staff, established 12 development principles in 2019 by which the proposals will be scored as part of the proponent’s technical submission. Public input will focus on various aspects of the development principles.
The development principles are:
1. Support the City’s Downtown Tomorrow Plan and vision
2. Optimize financial return
3. Demonstrate a sustainable “green” approach
4. Enhance the resident and visitor experience
5. Respond to surrounding built form
6. Integrate within Orillia’s downtown and waterfront area
7. Consider downtown food and grocery needs
8. Consist of simple and timeless design
9. Consist of a high-quality public realm
10. Promote a safe, comfortable and inviting pedestrian environment
11. Integration of parking
12. Integration of servicing
“The 2022 realignment of Centennial Drive, the extension of Coldwater Street to open up the viewscape to the lake, and this exciting redevelopment project, will bring the vision of the Downtown Tomorrow Plan to life. As we continue to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, I am filled with hope to see the positive progress our city continues to experience despite these challenging times,” said Mayor Clarke.
The virtual open house video, redevelopment concepts, and online survey will be available online between April 9 and April 18, 2021. It is anticipated the successful proponent who will redevelop the site will be announced following confidential real estate negotiations, by late summer 2021.
For more information and to sign up for updates, visit the project webpage.
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