Orillia's final draft for the future of its downtown revealed

Orillia unveils final plan for downtown growth The City of Orillia unveiled its final draft of the downtown growth plan.

The City of Orillia’s vision for the future of its downtown core is taking shape, with more than two dozen ideas on the table.

City council reviewed the final draft developed by Urban Strategy of the Downtown Tomorrow Plan on Monday.

The plan outlines 31 strategies to transform the downtown area over the next decade and beyond, with public support for items like increasing affordable housing, filling vacant lots and revamping the Farmers’ Market.

Tim Smith with Urban Strategy emphasized that while the plan helps identify initiatives, not everything can be done.

“We don't expect - as with the 2012 plan - you're going to implement every one of these initiatives. This gives you a menu of things to choose from,” he explained.

The final draft is the result of months of collecting public feedback.

Council voted to defer its approval until March to give residents a change to review the final draft.