- Stouffville had planned on tearing down 6343 Main Street to expand Civic Square green space but Council approved Mayor Lovatt’s motion to assess interest in leasing part of the heritage property.
- In a January 2022 press release, Lovatt explained that the “purchase doesn’t cost taxpayers a cent. All the funds are coming from the Town’s Parkland Trust, which is funded solely by developers.”
- However Sunny Bains, Director of Leisure Services, explained to Council that the percentage of $1.089 million in Parkland Trust funding spent on square footage not used for green space would have to be reimbursed via the Town’s capital reserves.
- Lovatt told Council that “two members of the public reached out looking for retail space on Main Street, and there isn’t anything available…This could be a revenue stream coming to the Town.”
- The front half of the building could be leased with the rear being demolished for a smaller Civic Square expansion.
- “Saving a heritage building while finding a potential long term revenue source isn’t a bad exercise,” Mayor Lovatt told Bullet Point News. “Creating economic opportunity [while] increasing Civic Square at the back are all potential positives… If no one is interested in the main floor, we will take it down.”
- Residents should look out for an upcoming public meeting, which will happen before the Town decides on the property’s fate.
