NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF GUELPH
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Join us for a virtual open house as we share the Urban Design Master Plan for the Baker District redevelopment project. The plan was influenced by your feedback over the past 18 months and now it’s time to share it with you.
The Urban Design Master Plan shows how all the elements of the Baker District - residential, commercial, parking and open space - fit together and connect.
The online presentation provides an overview of the design for the site, including the overall development concept with streetscapes, open spaces and parking, and sustainable design features (One Planet Living framework).
As Guelph recovers from the negative financial impacts of COVID-19, the Baker District redevelopment project will help by creating jobs and stimulating the local economy.
Watch and ask questions
Watch the online presentation and ask questions or share your comments by June 30, all on the City’s online engagement site at haveyoursay.guelph.ca. We’ll answer your questions publicly on our site for everyone’s benefit.
Virtual open houses temporarily replace in-person sessions while physical distancing orders are in place, and allow us to move forward with projects that support Guelph’s economic recovery efforts.
We recognize that an online open house isn’t for everyone. If you want a printed copy of the presentation, call us at 519-822-1260 extension 3622 or TTY 519-826-9771. City staff and the team at Windmill Development Group can also take your questions and comments over the phone or by email at 647-620-2987 or [email protected].
Next steps
We’re getting ready to share programming and design plans for the new central library in July.
Once the virtual open house for the library design is done, we’ll summarize your feedback on both designs in a report that we’ll share with the community and Council later this year.
About the project
We’re transforming the existing Baker Street municipal parking lot and adjacent properties into a compact district nestled in Guelph’s historic core that will create a renewed area of activity, commerce and civic space for the local community and city.
This welcoming and publicly-accessible integrated civic hub - known as Baker District - is anchored by a new central Guelph Public Library and outdoor urban square, and features residential units, commercial and institutional space, and public parking.
As a landmark city-building initiative, the Baker District redevelopment further revitalizes our downtown and—by extension—improves our entire city’s economic and social prosperity.
This means:
- more people living downtown and contributing to the City’s tax base to fund municipal programs and service
- more jobs due to an increase in demand for retail and commercial services
- an increase in retail spending for current and new businesses
- more people visiting and learning downtown; contributing to a vibrant and healthy downtown
The project also contributes to Guelph’s growth target: a population of 191,000 people and an employment base of 101,000 jobs by 2041. Specifically, the City’s Official Plan has Guelph’s downtown being planned to achieve a density target of 150 people and jobs combined per hectare by 2031 and to be a focus for high density employment, residential development, public infrastructure and services, and multimodal transportation.
To learn more about the Baker District redevelopment project, visit guelph.ca/bakerdistrict or to participate in engagement activities, visit haveyoursay.guelph.ca.
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