Business View Magazine - March 2016

30 Business View Magazine - April 2016 Business View Magazine - April 2016 31 our tourism industry. When looking at our waterfront, I again see great opportunity - for example, the Kings- ton Penitentiary waterfront property. This is one of the oldest prisons in Canada. It was established in 1835 and operated until its closure in 2013, and has been dubbed ‘The Alcatraz of the North’ for its potential as a tourism destination. This is a significant property and we will be embarking on a community visioning exer- cise with the federal government to explore its poten- tial revitalization and redevelopment. This is a project Kingstonians are excited about and I am always hear- ing innovative ideas for the site including the idea of a sailing centre, recognizing Kingston’s natural assets as the freshwater sailing capital of the world.” Other ways in which Mayor Paterson sees Kingston being a smart and livable city, especially for its resi- dents, is making the community more walkable, lim- iting urban sprawl, and “building up from within,” by revitalizing key areas within the city core. “A number of properties have been underutilized in the past, and as we look to become a more sustainable community limiting urban sprawl we are prioritizing the intensifi- cation of our downtown,” he says. “I see residential development as critical for the future health of our downtown. Kingston has one of the best, most walk- able downtowns for a city our size in Canada and we need to sustain and build on this strength.” The Mayor also explains how Kingston’s industrial his- tory has created some challenges and opportunities for future growth. “As we look to build up our downtown the former industrial lands along our waterfront need to be decontaminated, meaning significantly higher costs for their development. While this is a challenge, it also presents an opportunity. As a city, we have been able to keep these lands attractive for development by creating a tax incentive program that provides a break on future property taxes as compensation for environ- mental cleanup. With this program we are creating win-win scenarios environmentally and economically.” It’s clear that new developments, as well as their sub- sequent maintenance, will require substantial invest- ment from both public and private coffers, a hot topic for municipalities across the country. Regarding the former, Paterson says, “Kingston has emerged as a leader with our annual one percent property tax levy investment in capital infrastructure. This means every year we have dedicated funds to maintain and upgrade our roadways, water and wastewater systems, bridges, and other capital needs. This has positioned Kingston well to ensure we can realize growth into the future.” While Kingston continues to develop physically, its population is still growing at a moderate rate and de- mographic trends presage a slowing down of that dy- namic over the next few decades. “That’s why we’re being proactive,” says Paterson. “We have initiated an