Aligned with Council’s strategic priority on Downtown Vibrancy, the District of Summerland, in partnership with their consultants, Urban Systems, and under the guidance and advice of the Downtown Neighbourhood Plan Task Force, has developed the draft Downtown Neighbourhood Action Plan.
This plan establishes a roadmap for future actions and implementable projects for the District to pursue and enhance Downtown Vibrancy over the next 20 years. Included in the plan are 53 actions that have been prioritized into the short, medium, and long term. These actions include preliminary costing, and span the areas of land use and density, infrastructure enhancements, parks and open space planning and amenities, policy and bylaw regulation review, and development of financial incentives.
The draft Downtown Neighbourhood Action Plan also includes the Memorial Park Master Plan which is a detailed future concept plan for the Park with key amenity improvements such as a new bandshell facility and civic plaza area, a new park entry walkway from Henry Avenue, and a focus on enhancing winter activities such as a kids toboggan hill and ice skating in the civic plaza area during the winter season.
In addition to Memorial Park, other identified “Catalyst Projects” include the following:
• The permanent closure of Henry Avenue to vehicle traffic between Main Street and Wharton Street to create a pedestrian-friendly entryway into Memorial Park
• The revitalization of Wharton and Main Street, including a review of the streetscape, to potentially accommodate wider sidewalks and enhanced amenities like sidewalk patios
• The “Trail of the Okanagans” multi-use pathway connection extended through Downtown via Kelly Avenue and Wharton Street
• Several key actions to encourage momentum for private development in the Downtown core
The District of Summerland is encouraging the community to review the draft Downtown Neighbourhood Action Plan which can be accessed via the District’s “Story Map” project webpage, linked off the District’s webpage found here: https://www.summerland.ca/planning-building/planning-development/currentprojects/downtown-reimagined
We want to hear your thoughts and feedback on the proposed vision for your Downtown!
A short video describing the elements of the Draft Downtown Neighbourhood Action Plan and a two-page summary is also included on the project page to help your review of the draft plan. An engagement survey to provide your feedback on the draft plan has been developed and can be accessed from the project webpage. The public survey will be available for public feedback until Monday, July 11, 2022.
To complete the survey, please visit https://www.summerland.ca/planning-building/planningdevelopment/current-projects/downtown-reimagined