Back to SearchCouncil Awards RFP to Re-Imagine and Re-Develop Wasaga Beach’s Iconic Beachfront to FRAM Building Group
Project expected to transform beachfront commercial area, advance sustainable, mixed-use urban planning approach and breathe new life into Town’s tourism sector
WASAGA BEACH - The Town of Wasaga Beach is taking the next step to re-imagine its iconic beachfront and breathe new life into its community and economy. Today Council voted in support of a staff recommendation to award an RFP to redevelop its beachfront commercial area to multi-award-winning development firm, FRAM Building Group.
The project is expected to introduce innovative, mixed-use planning approaches to the community, contribute significantly to the transformation of Wasaga Beach’s local economy and change the landscape of the beachfront commercial area for generations to come.
Now that the RFP has been awarded, a second public meeting will be organized in the fall, where FRAM will be introduced to residents, present initial design concepts and begin to engage the community in a collaborative design process.
The project will focus on the beachfront commercial area around Beach Area 1, but the economic spinoffs will benefit the entire community.
“Ultimately, this project is about building a brighter future for our community and a stronger, more resilient Wasaga Beach for our full-time residents,” said Mayor Brian Smith. “It’s about more than transforming our beachfront – it’s about transforming our community and tax base in the long term, which will benefit our citizens for generations to come. This Council understands that if we build a well-designed, sustainable community where our full-time residents want to live, work and play – together with our magnificent beachfront, we will also build a stronger, more vibrant and more resilient Wasaga Beach that tourists will want to experience.”
The project will be guided by public input and the Town’s existing, approved Downtown Development Master Plan, which outlines the following metrics that will be used to measure its positive impact on the Town:
- direct jobs created
- new visitors annually
- % increase in overnight stays
- increase in spending
- increase in provincial taxes
Conceptual drawing of the Town of Wasaga Beach Downtown Development Master Plan.
The Town will keep the public informed and communicate next steps, including the date of the next public meeting, through public notices on wasagabeach.com/news, the Town’s public engagement site (letstalkwasagabeach.ca) and the Town’s corporate Twitter and Facebook channels.
Quotes
Mayor Brian Smith: “We’re taking action to build a brighter future for Wasaga Beach. From urban revitalization projects to award-winning, waterfront communities, FRAM has consistently demonstrated a commitment to innovation, design excellence, and environmental stewardship. FRAM’s projects are built on a commitment to community well-being, public engagement and collaborative design processes – and Council agrees this award-winning experience and collaborative approach is the right fit for Wasaga Beach.”
Andrew McNeill, CAO, Town of Wasaga Beach: “It’s about more than simply protecting our full-time residents, lessening the burden of infrastructure investments on property owners and ensuring the financial sustainability of our community. We need to build something here that is worthy of all our amazing memories of Wasaga Beach – that will stand the test of time. We need to create and leave behind something more sustainable, inclusive and vibrant – where future generations can visit or live and work and make their own memories.”
Frank Giannone, President, FRAM Building Group: “FRAM is proud to have been selected as the Town’s partner of choice and to be entrusted with the privilege of re-imagining and re-building Wasaga Beach's iconic beachfront. Wasaga Beach has made a transformative decision, one that will shape the future of the community and it’s beachfront. This is an exciting journey that we will take together with the Town and its citizens, and we are ready to get started.”
Quick facts
- At a public town-hall meeting on April 27, 2023, the Town announced that an RFP would be released to the top three, vetted developers that bid on the redevelopment of the Town’s beachfront in 2017/2018. There was standing room only at that public meeting and overwhelming support to move the process forward.
- FRAM has over four decades of combined community-building experience, and is one of three developers that expressed an interest to compete for the opportunity to redesign the Town’s beachfront.
- FRAM has won multiple urban design awards in various phases of their work in Port Credit, brownfield awards in the Town of Collingwood and Port Credit. They are also a finalist of the Urban Land Institute’s Award of the Americas for Development.
- Before a development agreement is signed, next steps include a standard, 4-month due diligence period where Town staff will work with FRAM to refine their proposal, respond to technical questions, engage the community and incorporate public feedback into design concepts.
Additional resources:
Review the Town’s Downtown Development Master Plan.
Learn more about Council’s priorities.
Media contact:
Sandra Watts
Director of Strategic Communications & Intergovernmental Affairs
sandra.watts@wasagabeach.com
Subscribe
