Downtown Kemptville Community Action Plan 2021

DRAFT DOWNTOWN KEMPTVILLE COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN 2021

1 TABLE of Contents Introduction...... 4 What We Heard...... 4 Background...... 5 Previous Plans & Planning...... 7 Challenges & Opportunities...... 8 Properties...... 11 Mayor’s Task Force on Affordable Housing...... 11 Capital Planning...... 12 Inventory...... 12 Demographics...... 12 Heritage Assets...... 12 Municipal Assets...... 12 Goals & Objectives...... 14 Vision...... 14 Goals...... 14 Targeted Development Goals...... 14 Community Improvement Toolkit...... 15 Financial Tools...... 15 Development Charges Waiver...... 15 Tax-Increment Equivalent Residential Grant...... 15 People Make the Place Grant...... 15 Building Fees Grant...... 15 Façade & Signage Grant...... 15 Planning Tools...... 16 Community Planning Permit System...... 16 Parking...... 17 Patios, Amenities, and Encroachments...... 17 Processes & Practices...... 18 One-contact service...... 18 Top of the pile...... 18 BIA expansion...... 19 Bike friendly...... 19 Continuous review and progress...... 19 Action Plan...... 20

2 3 Introduction Starting in November 2020, the Municipality of North Grenville began the process to create a Downtown Kempt- ville Community Action Plan (DKCAP), replacing the former Community Improvement Plan (CIP) with a more robust program to encourage development in downtown Kemptville.

This is a four-year plan in place from February 2021 to December 2024.

When you are in downtown Kemptville we want it to be a place where you want to stay, enjoy, and live. What We Heard Key stakeholders were asked to provide feedback in the preparation of this plan. Many insightful pieces came from these sessions, and you will see what we heard and how it informed this Engagement included: plan throughout. » One-on-one stakeholder interviews with key players such as the Old Town Kemptville Busi- Two key themes that came from the consultation were: ness Improvement Area (BIA), Mayor and Connectivity and People. There is a desire to better Council, and developers connect downtown’s assets, and a need to have more people living in the core. » A community session with leaders from groups with an interest in Downtown Kemptville » A developer session with downtown property owners

4 Background Downtown Kemptville lies at the centre of the Mu- nicipality of North Grenville. Once the main commercial district, it has evolved over the years to its current state. It is located south of County Road 43, the present-day commercial hub.

Before 1840, downtown Kemptville was a cleared area south of the river where cows grazed. By 1870 the street was occupied by an impressive range of wood- framed buildings containing hotels, blacksmith shops, doctors’ offices, and stores. On May 13, 1872, all of this was destroyed in the worst fire in Kemptville’s history. Prescott Street from Asa to Water Street was razed, as every building on both sides of the street went up in flames.

Kemptville Creek, a south branch of the Rideau River, runs through downtown and was once wider and faster than it is today. The Clothier family built grist and saw- mills here that attracted settlers, businesses, and visitors to the new village. Over the years, the river was narrowed and ‘tamed’, its power diverted to the use of buildings and public spaces. Downtown has become a foundries, woollen mills, cheese, and timber factories. destination for both residents and visitors and a focal A concrete bridge was built in 1928 and replaced by point for North Grenville’s art, culture, and heritage the present structure in 1961. amenities all spanning the waterfront of the Kemptville Creek. Prior to the opening of Highway 416 in 1999, the Ride- au-Sanders-Prescott area was the highway commer- The downtown area has played host to many events cial corridor along the original Highway 16 route, con- and festivals. Since the ending of the annual Dande- necting Kemptville to Ottawa in the north and Prescott lion festival, several smaller-scale community events in the south. With the advent of the 416 and the sub- have been held including the BIA’s Easter, Christmas, sequent change in traffic patterns, County Road 43 and Halloween events. evolved as the new highway commercial corridor changing the function of the Rideau-Sanders-Prescott In August 2020, the first Downtown Promenade was area. held to provide space to shop amidst physical distanc- ing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Downtown Kemptville is comprised of Rideau, event was a success, drawing a few thousand people Sanders, Clothier and Prescott Streets. Clothier and to the core area. Prescott Streets are included in the BIA footprint (Figure 1). Rideau and Sanders Streets are north of The downtown area also benefits from the success- Clothier Street and outside of the BIA boundary and ful Kemptville Live Music Festival. The annual event this area is often referred to as the triangle. has been held in July for the past five years, with over 20,000 in attendance in 2019. Downtown Kemptville has seen a significant revival over the last few years. The Municipality of North The successful Kemptville Farmers’ Market is held in Grenville, along with business groups such as the BIA the parking lot of B&H Grocery on Rideau Street. It is and the North Grenville Chamber of Commerce, and open Sundays 12pm - 4pm from May to October. private investors have brought investment to historic

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K MUNICIPAL RD EM R P C T N E O N D C R T O MUNICIPAL RD* G R TO C O D !!!!PRIVATE RD PROVINCIAL HWY 4 / LN Area_Water_MAJOR Land Parcels development to be exempted from parking require- Previous Plans ments through the payment of cash into a public fund for the purpose of enhancing parking in the area. Cur- & Planning rently, the Municipality has no cash-in-lieu bylaw, and therefore cannot collect fees for this purpose. A cash- The Municipality’s 2006 strategic plan identified down- in-lieu bylaw could enable such things as the future town Kemptville as a priority. In response, new resi- construction of larger public lots and could promote dent and local artist Don Munz created a series of illus- more parking and pedestrian traffic throughout the trations to allow people to envision the revitalization of downtown commercial zone. downtown Kemptville. The illustrations inspired new investment and a number of buildings were renovated to A CIP is a tool that allows a municipality to direct match the vision. funds and implement policy initiatives toward a spe- cifically defined In 2016, a Down- project area. A town Business At- CIP was original- traction Strate- ly created in 2013 gy was completed. for Rideau and The plan largely fo- Sanders Streets cussed on market- with a budget of ing initiatives, the $100,000 over 5 majority of which years (2014-2018) have been com- for the Façade, pleted. In 2018, Landscaping, and the BIA began ex- Signage portion of ploring the possi- the program. The bility of expansion. program was over- Efforts are still in subscribed in 2014, the nascent stages 2015, and 2016. In and stalled due to 2017 the program COVID-19, but an was expanded to associate member- include proper- ship program has ties on Clothier and been established. Prescott Streets and the budget The Municipal- was increased to ity passed the $50,000 a year current develop- (2017-2018). In ment charges bylaw on November 19th, 2019. Devel- 2019 another $50,000 was approved. Funds were not opment charges were exempted for a one-year period fully expended in 2018 or 2019. for the downtown core. On October 6th, 2020 Council approved an extension of the exemption until March The other CIP programs, the Tax Increment-Based In- 2023. The Building Division undertook a review of the centive Grant (TIBIG), Brownfields Financial Tax As- number of building permits that were exempted in the sistance Program (BFTAP), and Residential Inten- downtown core over the past five years. The original sification Development Charges Exemption were intent of the exemption in the downtown core was to underutilized, with only three initial applications for the stimulate investment, however to date only one permit TIBIG that never reached the grant stage and zero ap- for a single-family dwelling was issued. plications for the BFTAP since 2013. The Downtown Commercial Official Plan Zone iden- Both residential and commercial buildings were eligible tifies cash-in-lieu as a method to allow proposed under this CIP program.

7 Challenges & Opportunities

The Municipality has identified the investment required for the Urban Service Area as it pertains to the Munici- pality’s water and wastewater infrastructure. The North Grenville Potable Water and Wastewater Master Plan Update was undertaken in 2015 to evaluate the existing infrastructure and present servicing alternatives to accommodate anticipated development. The report identifies the requirement for increased capacity, the upgrading of pumping stations, the need to expand the wastewater treatment plant, and identifies where new municipal wells are required. These improvements are required to accommodate future growth within the municipality.

The small 40ft road allowance on downtown streets poses challenges. As well, the shared ownership of roads with the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville creates both obstacles and opportunities.

There are approximately 40 on-street parking spots in downtown Kemptville. On-street parking is restricted to three hours. Public parking lots exist at the North Gren- ville Public Library and at Riverside Park. A free private parking lot exists at 19 Clothier Street East until the owner begins development. Limited parking is available behind buildings facing the main streets and is usually restricted to customers and residents of those buildings. A 2011 study determined there was sufficient parking downtown, but general perception was other- wise. Figure 2 illustrates the available parking in downtown Kemptville.

It is recognized the downtown has beneficial amenities including the waterfront and parks, but there is a need for better connectivity.

There are several properties that are primed for development with developers eager to build. This creates a great opportunity if an easy development process is facilitated.

8 PA R E L T IA S M T Downtown Parking E A S N IR T T E V S N S L O T T A E S E N S A D T R I O S E G I T D E H R G S O JA T R M O Y E O E L R G E S C R G S U T C

B A R N E S S A S N T D R E T R S ID S LY E Y S E D A T L IA U A S O S M U T T T S E H S N T T E S E JA U D C Q R K O S F T X W O T S E G D R U O M E G T B S R T IL S L A E E S A T M L A JO S E P H S V T T A S A R T I W S R T TE A O S A S T D W A IC A R V L O F F R X H E O A D R S T R IE TH T O S M T A A S L S Figure 2: ParkingF T R T E S D PA R Y E L T S IA R S M P T Downtown Parking E A S T N R A IR T T E V S N S L O T T E A E S M E N S S D T R IA S O IE C G E T D H S R G T O O JA R M O Y E O E L R T G E S C R G S U T T C S B A T R N WE S S A S N T T D T R R E T S I R S S D S LY E E Y S E D A T L IA N U R A S U O S M U E T T IE T B S E H R S N T T E E H S U E JA U T D C N B Q R K O O S F T C L X N W O T R A C S E V G D R U O M E G T B S R T IL S L A E E S A T M L A JO S E P H S V T T A S A R T I W S R T TE A O S A S T D W A IC A R V L O F F R X H E O A D R S T R IE TH T O S M T A A S L S F T R T E S D Y S P R T R A E S M C O TT S T W T R T D S S E N R R U E IE B R H E U T N B M LegendO C N L A R C R V O Roads C S Non-Patrol Roads N S R O O C RD_TYPE D L P COUNTY RD R B O FUTURE O LT MUNICIPAL RD G R IL MUNICIPAL RD* O H ! PRIVATE RD T PROVINCIAL HWY 4 / LN D C R Parking M O Legend R O D Roads C S Non-Patrol Roads N S R O O C RD_TYPE D L P COUNTYTy RD pe R B O FUTURE O LT MUNICIPAL RD G Paved, Marked R IL MUNICIPAL RD* O H ! PRIVATE RD T PROVINCIAL HWY 4 / LN C Paved, Unmarked O Parking D Ty pe Unpaved, Unmarked Paved, Marked Paved, Unmarked Unpaved, Unmarked

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10 Properties Mayor’s Task Force The vacancy rate of main street level commercial units in the BIA in October 2020 was 13%. This is down from on Affordable Housing a 21% vacancy rate at the end of 2019. Several larger The Mayor’s Task Force on Affordable Housing was units, however, have remained vacant for over three convened by the Mayor and Municipal Councillors as a years including 126-128 Prescott Street (the old But- means of identifying priority short-term and longer-term ler’s Victorian Pantry, vacant since 2017), 2 Prescott objectives and implementation strategies aimed at ad- Street (former garage, vacant since 2016), and 139 vancing affordable housing availability and options for Prescott Street (former Scotiabank, vacant since the residents of North Grenville. Recommendations 2012). from the report include encouraging more secondary dwelling units, examining the dwelling types allowed in A large vacant property is the former North Grenville each residential zone, providing priority to affordable District High School (NGDHS). A proposal was envi- developments in terms of capacity allocation, and re- sioned for a mixed-use residential/commercial devel- viewing available surplus land. opment by the owner but has not been active for some time. The former Kemptville Public School is also a Eleven new units were completed in September 2020 large vacant property in the downtown area with signif- for families at a new affordable housing project on icant development potential. As well, 8 Asa Street, 211 Jack Street just east of the downtown core. It is sug- Sanders, and 301 Rideau Street may have develop- gested that the implementation of the findings of the ment applications in the near term. These opportunities Task Force be extended comprehensively on a Munici- are illustrated in Figure 3. pal-wide basis and subsequently reflected in this plan.

11 Capital Planning There are some real In addition to the capital improvements noted in the gems downtown - challenges and opportunities section, there are several capital projects slated for the near future that will affect Grahame’s, B&H... the downtown. The Municipality plans to install new streetlights in 2021. New crosswalks are being consid- it makes for a ered, like the recently installed crosswalk at the inter- section of Asa and Prescott Streets. There are plans to unique experience. reconfigure Rideau and Sander Streets to be one-way and to add bike lanes, sidewalks, parking, and bump- outs. Municipal Assets Although not directly downtown, the County Road 43 Municipal buildings in the downtown include redevelopment will have an impact during and after (Figure 5): construction. Many businesses feel this will benefit the downtown. » 15 Water Street » 200 Reuben Crescent (curling club) Inventory » 25 Rueben Crescent (former fire hall, storage) Demographics There are two parks located in or adjacent to downtown Kemptville. Rotary Park is located at the corner of As of October 2020, the business mix in the Old Town Clothier and Prescott Streets. It overlooks the Kempt- Kemptville BIA is 62% service, 17% retail, 17% food, ville Creek and acts as a gateway to downtown, as and 4% short-term accommodation. Of the tourism well as a space for events including Wellness in the businesses interviewed in the 2019 Tourism Busines Park. Retention and Expansion (BR+E) survey 24% were located downtown. The report also noted downtown Riverside Park is located just west of Prescott Street. It could be a better tourism draw with a more attractive includes the municipal pool, skateboard park, baseball mix of businesses and enhanced beautification. diamonds, and tennis courts as well as ample green space. Heritage Assets Just south of downtown lies the Kemptville Campus. There are six designated heritage properties in or near The Campus includes 630 acres and 17 main build- downtown Kemptville (Figure 4). One of those, 304 ings as well as woodlands, croplands, wetlands, Prescott Street, the former NGDHS, is vacant. The greenhouses, an agroforestry and male shack, and other, 15 Water Street (former town hall), is used occa- trails. Several schools have located on the campus, as sionally by the provincial offences court and the North well as businesses including Catered Affairs and My Grenville Historical Society. Local Markets who host events. It is also the site of the Kemptville Live Music Festival.

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JO TH S O E M P A H S PA B R R T S L ID S S T IA G T M E V H E S A T N T Legend E T S A S B T I A P Z R I O IN L T E S T E Y A R C L R I F H R U V E IL C D Old Town Kemptville BIAL S T R D D R M T O S Heritage Assets S S R O E L T B A W

B A Roads R R N C E S A S T T T P S R S I E V S Y C R O A W T JA Non-Patrol Roads T T M M S E S S A T S IR T V L E

T RD_TYPE LY S F D E IA T R S T O S A G U E L H S U TH F A A S S W R W R O T R S N A E T A D S I COUNTY RD S M E T L S D CR T A T R P S O O T F LT X IL O H FUTURE T S N E R R E U U B B N E A W S V N A T N MUNICIPAL RD C D S K E R R R E S IE M S R H P T C T T N O E O L N D C C R T O MUNICIPAL RD* G R TO C O D !!!! TH PRIVATE RD O M AS T S T S T S N E H PROVINCIAL HWY 4 / LN E T U Q E B A IZ L E Water A JA C L K F S R T E D S Land Parcels T

E T S D R D U FO M X B O R IL L E S Legend T P IN E H R T I ID P L E S Old Town Kemptville BIAL R A R T U E E Y D S T S T S S R S D T C A R R O A E IE A M H T M M O T T Heritage Assets L O A S S L S O C T L B Roads

Non-Patrol Roads F E R G W U T S RD_TYPE S E G O R N EO G S COUNTY RD T CR P TO L JO IL S H E P H FUTURE S T V A IA R O T T S IC K MUNICIPAL RD V N EM R E P C R R T N E O E U N D U B C R T T O S B MUNICIPAL RD* R N G E R T E A TO A W N V C W O T C D S !!!! R PRIVATE RD R IE H T O L PROVINCIAL HWY 4 / LN C T S T T S A H S E L A W F A R W R S A E T R A M D S IE Water L S D T A T R S O T F X O Land Parcels

TH O M AS S T T S H T E B A IZ L E A L F R E D S T

P T R S E S Y C R O A TT M S T

F E R G U S O N S T

T S N E R R E U U B B Legend N E A W N V T S C P R R I IE N H T E O L H C IL Old Town Kemptville BIAL R D D R M O Municipal Assets S S O L B Roads Non-Patrol Roads RD_TYPE Legend P COUNTY RD R IN C E P H O IL T Old Town Kemptville BIAL L R IL D H D R M O FUTURE Municipal Assets S S O L B Roads K MUNICIPAL RD Non-Patrol Roads EM R P C T N E O N D RD_TYPE C R T O MUNICIPAL RD* G R COUNTY RD O CR T P C TO LL O HI D FUTURE !!!!PRIVATE RD

K MUNICIPAL RD EM R P C T N E O N D C R T O MUNICIPAL RD* G PROVINCIAL HWY 4 / LN R TO C O D Figure!!!!PRIVATE 5: RD PROVINCIAL HWY 4 / LN Water Water Land Parcels Municipal AssetsLand Parcels 13 Goals & Objectives Vision Downtown Kemptville is a vibrant gathering point that connects residents and visitors with unique experienc- es and amenities.

Goals To develop a suite of financial, planning, and process tools to spur long-term investment in downtown Kempt- ville. There are three goals framing this plan:

Goal 1: Incent desired investment through financial tools Goal 2: Establish flexible planning for creative development Goal 3: Update practices to align resources and priorities

Targeted Development Goals The consensus reflected through the engagement process was that the path to long-term vitality of downtown Kemptville will be achieved by increasing the number of people living in the downtown area. Prop- erty owners and developers acknowledged that their ventures are in line with this thinking. Engagement participants believed that an increase in residents living downtown would lead to more businesses opening in the commercial units. The vision of downtown includes an eclectic mix of businesses, including unique eater- ies and a well-rounded shopping experience.

We are a growing community and well-known, but downtown needs to have more “stickiness”, it needs to be a desitnation.

14 Community Improvement Toolkit To stimulate investment in downtown Kemptville, a suite of tools and programs are being implemented to spur development.

The following incentive programs and tools are available for developments in the Community Improvement Plan Area (CIPA). All the programs and processes outlined below can be used together by developers to ease their development process.

Financial Tools Full details on the following four incentive programs can be found in the Downtown Kemptville Community Improvement Guidelines. Development Charges Waiver As per our development charges bylaw, downtown developments are exempt from development charges until March 2023. Tax-Increment Equivalent Residential Grant Providing a grant equivalent to the municipal portion of the property tax for a new residential development. People Make the Place Grant $5,000 grant per residential unit created in multi residential builds. Building Fees Grant A grant will be provided to cover building fees up to $2,500. Façade & Signage Grant Grant to cover 50% of the costs up to $10,000 of high-quality improvements to the frontage of commercial space.

Recommendations: » North Grenville should replace the current CIP with the above programs » Council allocate $50,000 annually from the reserve Downtown fund for the People Make the Place Grant revitalization is not a » Council allocate $25,000 annually from the reserve fund for the Building Fees Grant cost to the » Council allocate $50,000 annually from the reserve community, it’s a fund for the Façade & Signage Grant » The CIP programs should be actively promoted to huge benefit. potential developers 15 Planning Tools Community Planning Permit System (CPPS) can be applied. A CPPS regulates the form, scale and charac- Community Planning Permit System ter of development and allows investors to tailor unique Attempting to apply a single set of zoning standards to solutions to the unique issues of a particular piece of the downtown area has led to significant barriers to in- land and consolidates all planning and building permit vestment. The unique parcel fabric and building con- applications into a single process. figurations that have developed over the long history of downtown Kemptville does not lend itself well to a According to the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs “one size fits all” approach to zoning standards that is and Housing website: “The community planning permit achievable in newer or greenfield areas. Many land system (CPPS) is a land use planning tool that munic- parcels are small or undersized in area and are subject ipalities can use when planning for the future of their to historic easements or encroachments or are irregu- communities. lar in shape, which makes typical development a chal- lenge. The way permitted uses are listed in downtown This tool can help to: areas often reflect trends of the past, not necessari- » make development approval processes more ly designed to respond to current or future trends in streamlined and efficient the marketplace such as increased demand for shared office/collaboration space or working from home ac- » get housing to market quicker commodations. » support local priorities (for example, community building, developments that support public transit, These issues make the traditional approach to devel- and greenspace protection) oping zoning standards for historic downtown areas problematic for investors and municipalities alike. It » create certainty and transparency for the was expressed that zoning standards should be used community, landowners and developers” to promote creativity and innovation among downtown For the downtown Kemptville investor, this would add investors. clarity to the process and represent significant re- duction in the time required to move the project from Additionally, the processes required to amend the plan- concept to construction. ning documents are often cumbersome and unclear and can lead to significant cost and delay. Many inves- Recommendation: tors choose to not proceed with projects in the context » North Grenville should initiate a CPPS for of these barriers. downtown Kemptville Instead of applying a traditional zoning scheme, which regulates the use and location of buildings, a

‘Never done this before’ should not be in our vocabulary, maybe just ‘not done here yet’.

16 Parking

During the community consultation sessions, the topic of parking sparked long discussions about its relative availability, location, and future directions. While there appears to be enough parking in theory, parking does not seem to align with the immediate needs of the businesses and users in the area.

Presently, the consensus of participants is that visits to downtown are purpose-driven, single destination events. In these types of interactions, visitors desire parking near their desired destination. This can be problematic in downtown Kemptville as parking for restaurants and shops is not always immediately available.

Visitors to downtown go for a specific purpose such as attending the library or go to the bank. In more mature downtowns such as Niagara-on-the-Lake, visitors are content to park in a central area and casually stroll Recommendations: through the downtown area either to their intended des- » The Municipality should implement a tination or to experience the sense of place. cash-in-lieu of parking bylaw » The Municipality should undertake a parking Additionally, the actual requirement to provide on-site study to review parking standards and parking parking can also be a significant barrier to projects in locations to meet future needs of the the downtown. downtown area The historic lot pattern in the area means that land » The Municipality should continue to parcels are small or awkward in configuration. On-site investigate parking leases with private parking is land intensive and often occupies a substan- property owners tial portion of land available for building. The actual zoning requirement for the number of on-site parking Patios, Amenities, and Encroachments spaces required can be rigid and may not be in line with Patios and amenity areas attached to restaurants, the demands of the users. coffee shops and other business add ambience, street presence and sense of place. North Grenville had Regardless, flexibility is required in how parking stan- success in implementing a summertime patio plan in dards are applied. To that end, the Municipality should support of local restaurants during the COVID-19 pan- consider allowing parking reductions, as justified, in demic. The process of gaining permissions for patios the downtown area beyond the present zoning stan- can be cumbersome for applicants as they navigate mu- dard (50%). This can be facilitated by implementing a nicipal approvals and arranging appropriate insurance cash-in-lieu of parking bylaw. Through this process ap- coverage for municipal indemnification. plicants can reduce the amount of on-site parking that is required by contributing to a cash-in-lieu of parking Recommendation: reserve. The monies collected by the Municipality can then be applied to parking solutions on an area-wide » The Municipality should prepare a “How To” scale such as acquisition of land for municipal parking, guide on establishing a patio including relevant improvements to existing on-street parking or improve- insurance requirements and key contacts at ments to existing municipally owned parking areas. the Municipality

17 Processes & Practices With outside agencies (i.e County, conservation author- ity) prior agreement should be sought to firstly narrow One-contact service the applications where comment is required. Secondly, Navigating municipal approvals can be a daunting task once circulation is deemed be to be required, these ap- for investors. The relative speed to which a project can plications should be given top of the pile service. Thirdly, be brought to market is the biggest advantage that a comments should be confined to pre-determined issues Municipality holds. Having a single point of contact for of critical importance. investors that can assist in facilitating municipal approvals, agency feedback, infrastructure coordination, Similarly, internal circulation should be reviewed with and general inquiries represents a signal to potential in- each application so that formal responses are only vestors that the Municipality is equally invested in the sought from departments with direct interest. Internal re- outcome of their projects. sponse targets should be established as well (i.e one week for response). Recommendation: » The Strategic Initiatives Coordinator Recommendations: position should be the single point of » A Special Downtown Development Review contact for downtown developments Team should be established with a goal to meet within five business days of an investor Top of the pile request for preliminary comments Development pre-consultation meetings with potential » The DRT should establish limited internal applicants is a successful aspect of the development circulation lists for downtown applications review process. The Development Review Team (DRT) based on DRT review pre-circulation com- assembles with the applicant and provides technical ments feedback on proposals before applications are made. Giving early feedback to potential investors allows them » The Municipality should establish a top of the the ability to make quick business decisions on whether pile approach for development review and to proceed and what are the issues that need to be ad- set early targets for identified departments to dressed. These meetings are typically convened within respond a regular two-week window. As a strategy to facilitate » The Municipality should meet with external downtown investment, the Municipality should prioritize agencies to establish narrow criteria for circu- downtown development proposals and mandate the lation, top of the pile comment protocols and, primary importance of these applications. for circulated applications, a narrow scope of comment Developing a “top of the pile” approach to downtown development would mean that DRT would assemble » The Municipality should investigate software within five business days. Once the application process to manage planning files is initiated, departments would prioritize these applications ahead of others that may be in the review line. Outside agencies would similarly be asked to give these applications top of the pile review.

18 BIA expansion The mandate of the Old Town Kemptville BIA is to provide leadership and advocacy for their members and stakeholders (businesses, property owners, residents and those who work downtown) with the goal of creating the conditions for downtown Kemptville to become the premier commercial centre and community hub in North Grenville. The BIA’s aim in expanding is two-fold: to continue their work reasserting the key importance of smart growth for Kemptville, and to expand their programs into adjacent areas, where they will add value to property owners and businesses.

Recommendation: » The Municipality will support the BIA in expanding to cover Rideau and Sanders Streets in addition to Clothier Street and Prescott Street

Bike Friendly Ontario By Bike™ works to develop and promote cycle tourism in Ontario. The established business network is a program certifying and promoting bicycle friendly businesses and cycle tourism in a growing number of regions across Ontario. The Network is open to accommoda- tions, food services, attractions, cycling related businesses and organizations, including BIAs interested in attract- ing cycle tourism. Businesses and organizations may register online, at no charge, to participate and ultimate- ly reach the growing number of cycle tourists in Ontario. There are currently over 1,500 businesses certified as bicycle friendly, in regions spanning Ontario.

Recommendation: » The Municipality will support the BIA in becoming designated bike-friendly

Continuous Review and Progress The Municipality will endeavour to continually review best practices to provide the best level of service. The recommendations in this report will be monitored on an ongoing basis, with a status report done annually.

Recommendation: » The Municipality should conduct a midterm review of this action plan in January 2023, including the possible extension of the downtown development charge waiver, expanded marketing plans, and an events strategy

19 Action Plan

Objective Task Timeframe Lead/Partners Resources Status Incent desired Implement CIP February 2021- Strategic Up to investment tools December 2024 Initiatives $125,000 through Coordinator annually from financial tools Economic reserves Development Officer Planner I & II

Promote new February 2021- Strategic Economic CIP tools December 2024 Initiatives Development Coordinator Marketing Economic Budget Development Officer Planner I & II

Establish Institute a February-March Planner I Staff time flexible CPPS 2021 Strategic planning for Initiatives creative Coordinator development Pass cash-in- January 2021 Planner I Staff time lieu of Strategic parking bylaw Initiatives Coordinator

Complete a September 2021 Strategic $25,000 parking study Initiatives Coordinator Consultant Investigate February 2021- Strategic Staff time parking leases December 2024 Initiatives Coordinator Create patio March 2021 Strategic Staff time “How To” Guide Initiatives Coordinator Planner I Chief Building Official Update One-contact February 2021 Strategic Staff time practices to service in place Initiatives align resources Coordinator and priorities Planner I Chief Building Official Establish February 2021 Strategic Staff time Downtown Initiatives Development Coordinator Review Team Planner I Chief Building Official Limited DRT February 2021- Strategic Staff time circulation lists December 2023 Initiatives Coordinator DRT

20 Objective Task Timeframe Lead/Partners Resources Status Put top of the February 2021 Strategic Staff time pile approach in Initiatives place Coordinator Planner I Chief Building Official Establish February 2021 Strategic Staff time external agency Initiatives agreements Coordinator Planner I Chief Building Official Investigate February 2021 Strategic Staff time planning Initiatives software Coordinator Planner I Chief Building Official Support BIA February 2021- Clerk Staff Expansion December 2021 BIA assistance

Assist with BIA February 2021- Economic Staff bike friendly April 2021 Development assistance designation Officer BIA

Conduct a January 2023 Strategic Staff time midterm review Initiatives of the DKCAP Coordinator