March 2017 | Business View Magazine

174 175 Tecumseh, Ontario with municipal services. “That is unprecedent- ed,” he declares, proudly. “We’re moving in the right direction in making this community very, very sustainable and desirable. It’s good gover- nance and good management. And we’re con- tinuously trying to find new and better ways to serve, because we believe there is still room for improvement.” In addition to low water and tax rates, Tecumseh provides its residents with parks, trails, and open spaces. The Town is focusing on implementing smart growth initiatives such as their Tecumseh Road Main Street Community Improvement Plan (CIP), which will affect the 1.2 kilometer, commercial “downtown” corridor. The CIP es- tablishes a community-developed vision for an area that comprises 96 acres with a mix of approximately 115 commercial and residential properties, as well as underutilized land. To help achieve this vision, the CIP provides for a range of financial incentive programs to registered owners and tenants of land and buildings with- in the CIP Area. “We asked the residents what they wanted to see in the downtown core.We had several pub- lic information centers set up,” says McNamara. “One of the biggest ventures will be to bury most of the infrastructure. It becomes an oppor- tunity to re-engage into an area that needs an uplift.” The CIP incentives have already spurred the construction of a 48-unit, medium-density, residential development and improvements in private outdoor space enhancements. Addition- al medium and high-density residential devel- opment and building façade improvements are anticipated for the coming year. “The excite- ment has already started,” McNamara adds. “It looks very promising.” The Town is currently preparing a Streets- cape Plan and Detail Design for the Tecumseh CIP which will guide the implementation of complete street improvements, including: hard landscape elements and design specifications (e.g. paving types, concrete); sidewalk improve- ments and the introduction of curb extensions (bulb-outs); street furnishing and design specifica- tions (lighting types/locations, benches, garbage receptacles); road reconstruction and replace- ment/upgrading of underground municipal in- frastructure; and soft landscaping elements and design specifications (e.g. plant/tree types and locations). So far, $775,000 has been committed toward the design of this $24.2 million project. Tecumseh also has a combined 23 kilome- ters of trails and dedicated bike lanes, and over the past few years the Town has committed $200,000 in trail construction with additional trail projects identified for 2017. “We’re commit- ted to an active transportation network across our community where we’re encouraging our residents to adopt a healthy lifestyle,” says Mc- Namara. “We are aggressively trying to connect all of our park systems to our neighbors, and we’ve got two major projects on the go. There is