Dear Councillors, Mayor, and Media,
“When people of all ages, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds can not only access and enjoy a place, but also play a key role in its identity, creation, and maintenance, that is when we see genuine Placemaking in action.” – the Project for Public Spaces, 2009
My connection to the Marina and waterfront stems from my proximity to Legion Park (a baseball park my father envisioned), and the fact that I use the path for both cycling and walking my dog, on a regular basis. It’s one of the reasons I chose to rent my house in this area. The green space and waterfront Cornwall has is its biggest asset and any decisions about its future should be made in consultation with the community. There is overwhelming data that supports that green space is essential to a community’s well-being and this should be taken into account when considering the development of condos (private space) that will take away the enjoyment of these beautiful outdoor spaces and the waterfront, from the community.
Gentrification is a challenge cities face, as you already know. With the lack of space, many urban-dwellers are choosing to take over parts of the city that have never seen this type of development, which is why community consultation in these cases is needed. The problem here is that there is plenty of space available along the waterfront that could be developed, but would cost too much to take on. Big cities who face green space challenges would be appalled if they found out we were considering developing over our community green space. Just look at New York City, where they lack green space and have repurposed the High Line, an elevated section of a disused New York Central Railroad, to make it accessible to tourists and residents.
A 2008 study showed that being around green spaces can reduce blood pressure and stress levels, and possibly help people heal faster after surgery.
The Center for Active Design just published a report called the Assembly Civic Engagement Survey (ACES), with a sample of 5,188 respondents from 26 communities across the United States, in 2016. People living near popular parks report greater community connection and greater satisfaction with local government. Here is the data:
- 29% found greater satisfaction with their parks and recreation department
- 14% had greater satisfaction with police
- 13% had greater satisfaction with their mayor
With the ACES study they also found: that a moderate clean-up of a vacant lot can significantly enhance measures of civic trust — including a 13% increase in the belief that people care about their community. Using studies like this, we can learn what to prioritize, such as the cleanup and re-development of the land on the old Domtar site.
Because you should always look at a problem with a potential solution in mind, here are some ideas I’ve heard on how to best move forward in tackling the issue of condos around the Marina:
- If Cornwall Baseball needs a change room/better washroom facilities (such as the one the developers would build for them in exchange for the waterfront view), then we as a community crowdfund to help support them. Not only could we create a facility for those purposes but even turn it into a bike repair station (how much would the bike tourists love that), and a pop-up cafe (where local restaurants can share that space on a rotating basis).
- We as a community must start to take Urban Design seriously, and in order to do that, we need someone who understands the issues around health and active design and who can help lead these types of projects from within our local government.
- Figure out what kind of branding we need to attract the right demographic to this area. Building condos around the Marina will attract middle to upper-class, retired, seasonal visitors. Are we focusing on branding our community as such to attract youth/innovative entrepreneurs, or the retired? Either way, I believe there is a lot of work to brand Cornwall in a clear and concise way.
- Affordable housing should be a high-priority for the city, as there are many people struggling to make ends meet and reducing stress on families who are struggling, makes our community more resilient.
What was disappointing about the whole condo debacle was the fact that the developers didn’t go through the community first, they went straight to whom they considered the chief decision-makers. The difference between this consultation and the library green roof consultation, is the fact that the green roof project leads went straight to the public, engaging with them, leaving their ideas open for discussion. This is why innovation is so reliant on collaboration and why this whole condo project left us as a community, scrambling and in an uproar. Collaboration is key to a diverse and empathetic viewpoint and the developers should always consider the community their chief decision-makers.
Attached is the ACES report.
Visit https://cornwallwaterfront.wordpress.com/ for more resources, ideas and sources.
Thank you.
Kelly Bergeron
