MidlandToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following is in response to a story titled 'Barrie firm pulls out of MBL project, halting development plans.'
Dear Editor,
I suspect that we all have looked at our spectacular but undeveloped Midland waterfront and wondered what might be. In my years serving as your mayor, many residents commented that while Midland has this beautiful waterfront, we just can’t get to it.
The problem at that time was we did not own our waterfront. It was in private industrial hands. So when the opportunity arose in 2012 to take control, your council of the day took action. Knowing that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we started a year-long consultation with the residents of Midland and together developed their vision – The Waterfront Master Plan.
Waterfront development is no simple matter. Building public infrastructure – a boardwalk, parks, splash pads - would cost tens of millions of dollars. Simply making the site safe by removing toxic material and rebuilding the crumbling waterfront wall would cost many millions of dollars. Money the town does not have. We needed a development partner, one with waterfront expertise, financial depth and a sensitivity to Midland’s vision.
Your past council created the expert Midland Bay Landing Board to find that partner. It proved to be a long search. Very few developers in Ontario fit our requirements. After almost five years, we found an experienced local developer who would work with us to make Midland’s waterfront vision a reality. They would build all the public infrastructure, at no cost to the town, while creating a new commercial and residential neighbourhood. Confident after the many public consultations, the town made a signed offer to the developer.
Then the election came. And despite there having been no public clamour to rethink the vision it nonetheless became a political football.
The new council wanted to reopen the discussion and potentially change the terms. If there is anything developers do not like it is uncertainty and delay. They pulled out. Shortly thereafter, your council pulled most of its funding from the MBL board.
A 10-year public process has been brought to an abrupt halt. The cold reality is that other developers will take note and will be more reticent about engaging with Midland. Any mandated remediation and upgrades to the site will now be borne by the Midland taxpayer.
My hope though is that future leaders can again find the vision and political courage to give Midland the waterfront we all want and need.
Gord McKay
Former Midland mayor
