Invest North Bay has introduced a new Downtown Revitalization Committee that will be tasked with providing leadership in the renewal of the downtown area. Chair George Burton says with this group, the board is very pleased to provide some additional focus on one of the key areas of the regional economy. Burton says they are extremely confident that the slate of candidates will add value to their efforts aimed at improving the downtown core and the waterfront.
According to a mandate letter between Invest North Bay and Downtown Inc., the committee is responsible for:
- Providing strategic leadership on the renewal and revitalization activities of Invest North Bay Development Corporation relating to improving the broader downtown core
- Creating an annual list of strategic priorities and actions encompassing a multi-stakeholder approach to downtown and waterfront development
- Identifying key metrics associated with achieving the approved goals of Downtown Inc. to ensure progress
- Serving Invest North Bay Development Corporation as the unified voice of the stakeholders of the downtown with regards to the development of strategic plans and the activities supporting these plans
- Providing bi-monthly reports, including budget requests, to Invest North Bay Development Corporation to measure progress against Invest North Bay Development Corporation-approved goals relating to downtown development
- Maintaining a focus on strategic level activities while gaining and providing insight to groups already in existence around operational issues.
Burton says he’s very pleased and excited that such a dynamic group of professionals and entrepreneurs in our community that have come together to form Downtown Inc. Burton says redefining the Downtown Community Improvement Plan boundaries of the waterfront and downtown is a leading example of just one recommendation coming forward from the committee to Invest North Bay. The committees mandate will be reviewed every two years.
The committee is co-chaired by Canadore College’s Shawn Chorney and RE/MAX Legend Real Estate’s Sohail Rouhani. Other members include Katie Bevan from the FARM, Holly Cunningham from the Near North Media Lab, John Demeis from Descon Group, Timothy Hutchison from Hutchison Insurance, Rob Jamieson from Century 21 Blue Sky Region Realty, Nathan Jensen from Mitchell Jensen Architects, Jake Lacourse from Kennedy Insurance, John Lechlitner from Cecil’s Brewhouse and Kitchen, Brad Minogue from Coldwell Banker, Peter Minogue from Real Estate Brokerage, Geoff Richardson from Downtown Improvement Area, and Darryl Vaillancourt from Invest North Bay Development Corporation.
