The township has initiated a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) project aimed at making the municipality more business friendly.
“The Community Improvement Plan will be used as an economic development tool to help attract new business development and retain existing businesses and help them grow,” explains Mapleton economic development coordinator Jaclyn Dingwall in an Aug. 25 press release.
A CIP is a land use planning and financial tool, legislated under the Planning Act, that establishes a framework for future municipal projects and encourages private sector investment within key commercial, industrial, and mixed-use areas.
Once implemented it will allow the township to provide financial incentives (i.e., grants and loans) to eligible landowners and tenants to help with physical improvements to private property.
The CIP initiative will build on previous economic development-related plans undertaken for the township, including the Economic Development Strategy (June 2013) and the Mapleton Cultural Plan (June 2015).
Specifically, the CIP will focus on:
– stimulating local economic development;
– supporting new and existing business opportunities, including rural, agricultural and agri-business opportunities;
– assisting with downtown/main street revitalization and beautification efforts; and
– ensuring Mapleton is seen as a business friendly municipality.
To date, the township and its team of consultants, Vitality Planning and Stantec Consulting Ltd., have completed phase one of the project, and have identified a set of community improvement options, which were presented to council in late June 2016.
The township will be moving into phase two of the CIP project this fall, and plans to share the community improvement options with members of the public at a public information session on Oct. 13 from 6 to 8:30pm at the PMD Arena in Drayton. A presentation will be delivered promptly at 6:30pm.
For more information about the CIP project, or upcoming public information session, contact Dingwall at 519-638.3313 ext. 26 or jdingwall@mapleton.ca (use “CIP” in the subject line).
