Community Strategic Plan – Creating Our Tomorrow - City of Oshawa

Objective
A1. Revitalizing the
Downtown (cont’d)
Achievements
• Development charges and cash-in-lieu of parkland exemptions are in place in the Central Business District.
• Private sector improvements through financial incentives and tax relief to property owners are encouraged
through the CBD Community and Downtown Shoulder Area Community Improvement Plans.
• City Council and senior staff meet twice a year with the Police to discuss community safety issues and joint
initiatives. The Police have also increased their presence in the downtown.
• City Municipal Law Enforcement and Durham Regional Police have combined resources to address issues such
as graffiti, building standards, loitering and street level crimes.
• Federal Community Adjustment Funds have been committed to Downtown Brownfield Remediation ($270,000)
and Downtown Street Lighting, Streetscape and Parking Improvements ($1.9 million).
• City investment continues in the downtown streetscape and street lighting renewal program, with $1.9 million in
federal funding announced in 2009.
Measures
• Number of grant/loan applications approved in 2008-09: 5, valued at over $100,000.
• Number of new businesses opened in the downtown in 2008: 8.
• The commercial vacancy rate downtown dropped more than 4% from
19% in 2006 to 14.5% in early 2008. In 1996, the vacancy rate in
downtown was 28.6%. Currently, the rate fluctuates in the mid-teens.
• Central Building District (CBD) commercial building permits for 2008:
$1.1 million; 2007: $3.6 million; 2006: $2.5 million.
• CBD total building permits for 2008: $209 million; 2007: $85 million;
2006 $4.4 million.
• Events held in the downtown in 2008: 40; 2007: 26. City staff is working with community partners to increase
the number of major festivals and events in the downtown.
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