Major expansion to Sault Ste. Marie’s waterfront clears key hurdle

City council greenlit a waterfront redesign Monday featuring an urban beach, to be funded through a hotel tax increase.

City council has approved a multimillion-dollar plan to revitalize Sault Ste. Marie’s waterfront, with an urban beach along the St. Mary’s River as its first priority.

The ‘Waterfront Design Master Plan,’ passed last Monday night, outlines a $17-million facelift for Clergue and John Rowswell parks, which city officials describe as underutilized assets along the river.

Travis Anderson, the city’s director of tourism and community development, said the initial phase — featuring a destination playground, urban beach and river pool — is expected to draw the largest number of visitors.

“That’s where we’re looking at doing the destination playground, as well as the urban beach and the river pool,” Anderson said.

Some councillors raised concerns about the cost, but the plan was approved with assurances that no municipal tax dollars would fund the project. Instead, council greenlit a two-per-cent increase to the municipal accommodation tax, with the additional revenue – estimated at up to $900,000 annually – dedicated to the initiative. The city plans to use those funds to leverage government and private-sector financing.

Mayor Matthew Shoemaker emphasized a phased approach.

“You don’t have to do everything all at once if there’s not funding available from upper levels of government for every aspect of the project,” Shoemaker said.

“Try and take what you can off the list and keep working on the next thing.”

The parks are popular in winter, and the plan includes potential upgrades to the skating trail to adapt to warmer winters. The broader vision is to transform the area into a year-round attraction.

“There’s a reason why communities like Toronto have urban beaches – they’ve got three or four of them,” Shoemaker said.

“Having a place downtown where you can enhance somebody’s stay is really a value add to the tourism sector. And it helps retain that quality of life that we like to advertise here in the Sault.”

Anderson said city staff will use accommodation tax revenue this year for engineering work, including a detailed design plan and community engagement. The city will then seek third-party funding, aiming to break ground on the urban beach within two years.