Township of Severn worked in partnership with Lakehead University to complete a feasibility study for a property located in Port Severn that was donated to the municipality. This project was funded in part by the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship program.
This initial phase of the project included research and stakeholder consultation to help evaluate the potential for the bequeathed waterfront property to be redeveloped as a centre for arts, culture, recreation, parks, and/or heritage programming serving residents and visitors of the Port Severn area.
Public comments and responses have been included in the final report, and play an important part in helping Severn determine the future use of the bequeathed property.
Next steps
On June 11, 2024 the Culture and Recreation Advisory Committee reviewed and discussed the final report. Members then recommended to Council that staff to secure a consultant in 2025 to conduct a detailed technical feasibility study with the focus on the most frequently preferred option identified through the public engagement process, which is the development of the property for passive space/parkland.
The future study will focus on assessing the costs and requirements associated with creating this parkland and will exclude the other options such as an art studio or gallery space, gymnasium or workout space, and live music events venue due to various concerns including parking limitations, building accessibility issues, and potential neighbourhood disruptions.
About the public engagement process
Residents and visitors were invited to participate in a variety of engagement opportunities, including:
- online survey
- stakeholder interviews
- public open house
Read more abut the study in the Information and Consent Letter.
Study Information and Research Consent Letter
Open house held on April 24
All were welcome to attend. This was a drop-in event and registration was not required.
Date: Wednesday , April 24, 2024
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Location: Rawley Resort, Spa, and Marina (Rivers End Room), 2900 Kellys Road, Severn
The project team answered questions from attendees and shared some high-level results from the data collection phase through a PowerPoint presentation and display boards.
View the Community Engagement Results PowerPoint
If you would like to submit any comments to your members of Council please visit our Council page. You can also send an email to all members of Council to share your comments.
FAQ
Review some frequently asked questions.
What is a feasibility study? |
| A feasibility study involves the assessment of the practicality of a proposed plan or method. These studies are completed to help make informed decisions on options, such as that presented to the Township as the recipient of the gift of this property. After careful review, it was determined that public consultation is needed to give the community a stronger and clearer voice in the development of this property and their community Some factors will be applied to the evaluation of the proposed uses, but overall, this phase of the feasibility study focused on background research and stakeholder engagement. |
Why is this use being considered? |
| Severn completed a 15-year Recreation Master Plan (RMP) in late 2022. The RMP highlights a need to create an arts-focused community centre through redevelopment/renovation of the building and grounds at the Township’s recently bequeathed property in Port Severn. The implementation of this recommendation from the RMP serves several objectives including:
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What types of information will be gathered? |
| The feasibility study includes:
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Can I visit the property? |
| Please do not visit or access the property at anytime. Any unauthorized access to the property will be considered trespassing. |
How was the community invited to participate? |
Opportunities to get involved included:
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