February 22, 2018

Community improvement toolbox promoted

The Town of Erin should load up its Community Improvement Plan (CIP) with as many tools as possible, even if they are not to be used right away.
That was the advice of consultant Nancy Reid of the firm Stantec, at a community consultation workshop at Centre 2000 on Feb. 13.
“Build a toolbox you can implement over a 10-year period,” she said. “You can change the focus every year.”
The “tools” are primarily programs to channel public money to private firms through loans or grants, for physical projects that benefit the broader community.
The funding is intended to supplement private investment in the projects. Businesses will apply for assistance, which may be approved if they meet the town’s current criteria.
Possible programs include improvements to business façades, signage, landscaping, accessibility and energy efficiency.
They could include creation of new housing units, heritage conservation projects, building expansions or conversions, remediation of former industrial land, deferral of tax increases on improved property, improved parking, development of local attractions in areas such as the arts, local food or the equine sector, or making key areas more walkable.
“The CIP should help revitalize the town and stimulate investment,” Reid told town council recently.
She also recommends that the whole town be included. Even if downtown retail stores, for example, were to be the recipients of the initial effort, she said the town should keep the option of targeting industrial or agricultural areas in the future.
Input at the recent workshop will be reflected in the draft plan, to be ready in March. There will be a public meeting before council votes on its adoption.
CIP funding allocated by the Town of Erin ($20,000 in 2018) is expected to be supplemented by Wellington County’s Invest Well Community Improvement Plan.
The Economic Development Department says it will “allow the County to provide tax assistance, grants or loans to assist in the rehabilitation of lands and buildings.”
The amount of county funding has not been set, but it will be targeted based on the Economic Development Strategy, Business Retention and Expansion findings, the Taste Real program and the Investment Attraction Strategy.
Countywide priorities may include support for downtowns, affordable/high density housing, diversification of economic activity and employment land development.