C LINK

Amanda Watson Nicole Green Nathan Dias Chad Stover

Joyce Lau Sheran Joseph Sarah Kucznski

Cameron Palmer Melinda Masucci

Christian Pignotti Paulina Szmudrowska

Alexia Lapierre-Grimard

C LINK

TASK CLIENT

The Huntsville/Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce has commissioned C-Link to research and advance the importance of cultural tourism in the Huntsville community through the connection of pre-existing assets

• Environmental scan including background

information of Huntsville

• Research of municipalities that have undertaken cultural tourism initiatives,

•Development of a cultural asset map,

•Calendar of events and festivals,

•Land use and policy recommendations for improved

connectivity of cultural assets, and

• A discussion of place based cultural tourism within

Huntsville.

To enable Huntsville to become a Connected, Creative, and Cultural

destination for tourists and residents alike.

VISION OUR

SCAN ENVIRONMENTAL

SCAN ENVIRONMENTAL

OVERVIEW ●  Location: 215 km north of

Toronto, in the District Municipality of Muskoka

●  Population: 19,056 in 2011 ●  Landscape: Uneven forested

terrain, with many waterways. ●  Seasonal Population Estimate:

25,915    

SCAN ENVIRONMENTAL

●  The Muskoka, Algonquin Park, and Parry Sound region saw over 4.1 million visitors in 2012

●  84% of visits are adults only, 16% are family-based ●  Cultural tourism accounts for almost 25% of visits ●  Over 38% in tourism dollars in region are spent on food & beverage ●  Only 9% of spending currently being spent on recreation and culture ●  Day visitors spend $83 per visit on average

TOURISM STATISTICS  

ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN

CULTURALTOURISM ●  Travelling to become educated about a

place’s history, geography and identity. ●  Inclusive of both residents and tourists ●  Group cultural assets into categories ●  Creation of a tourism niche provides a

strong identity

NICHE ROMANCE

ROMANCE NICHE

●  Romance tourism creates a recognizable identity for Huntsville

●  Psychologically connects cultural assets ●  Romance in this context is a feeling

personally experienced o Satisfying, positive, and out of the

ordinary o Can be by yourself, with another

person or with a group

ROMANCE NICHE

Romance encompasses many attributes, a few examples include; ●  Culinary diversity ●  A beautiful physical environment ●  Diverse, plentiful shopping ●  Out of the ordinary activities ●  Iconic features ●  A peaceful atmosphere

ROMANCE NICHE

●  Paris, Montreal, & Quebec City ●  What makes them successful? ●  Cultural assets marketed as

“getaways” ●  A “romantic day” planner and map ●  Strong, identifiable romantic brand

CASE STUDIES

ROMANCE NICHE

●  Creating a romance tourism niche ●  Adding a “Romantic Day in

Huntsville” to the tourism site ●  Preserve the character of

downtown Main Street

RECOMMENDATIONS

●  Actively promote diverse shopping, restaurants and

other commercial assets

ROMANCE NICHE

ARTS

ARTS

●  Famous Canadian painter Tom Thomson.

●  Known for spectacular paint works of Algonquin Park.

●  Huntsville embraced Tom Thomson as part of the town’s past and continues to focus on landscape paintings and culture as a major draw to the area (Rice, 1964)

HISTORICALSIGNIFICANCE

ARTS

●  Visually enhance Highway 60 through the use of art by: o The Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery onto Highway 60.

o Designating Highway 60 corridor as: o CIP and through the CIP introducing a loan or grant program similar to the one in City of Hamilton: Commercial Facade Property Improvement Loan or Grant Program.

HIGHWAY 60 RECOMMENDATIONS

TRANSPORTATION

TRANSPORTATION

●  The Huntsville Transit Bus offers one bus running an Eastbound and Westbound route

●  The bus only operates o Monday to Friday 8:00am to 7:00pm o Saturdays 10:00am - 5:30pm

CURRENTOVERVIEW

TRANSPORTATION

●  The City of Manistee, Michigan aims to attract tourism to its city by using history and heritage

●  Manistee County Transportation offers a county-wide bus and trolley system that provides transportation services to the city as well as small towns within the county which aims to:

o Reduce the need for vehicle ownership o Encouraging use of public transportation

CASE STUDY

TRANSPORTATION

Implementation of public transportation the implementation of a new public transportation line in form of a trolley bus. Feasibility Study

o Benefits of a new and current transportation route o Success factors o Financing Options o Operational costs o Government regulatory considerations o Review of current transportation system and bus routes

Development of New Public Transportation Trolley Bus Line ●  Assuming the need for the proposed transportation line, the proposed trolley bus line will:

o Create better connectivity throughout Huntsville and its cultural assets o Aid in strengthening the small-town charming feel

TROLLEYBUS

TRANSPORTATION

Developing Strategy The implementation and creation of an official active transportation strategy, implementing the core issues from the Ryerson Active Transportation Report:

●  Dedicated bike lanes King William St to Hwy 60 (Section 4.1.1) ●  Sidewalk/curb improvements (Section 4.2.1) ●  Trail signage & raising awareness (Section 4.3) ●  BIA Involvement for provision of biking amenities (Section 4.2.3) ●  The use of an official strategy qualifies the town for third party grants. ●  Creating a core goal/focus that allows the town to guide active transportation projects ●  Many core documents and research already available

ACTIVETRANSPORTATION

TRANSPORTATION

Awareness •  Raising awareness of active transportation and the existing advantages through

online mapping, school curriculum and municipal marketing

ACTIVETRANSPORTATION

STATION CULTURE

CULTURE STATION

●  Constructed by the Canadian National Railway in 1924

●  Designated a Heritage Railway Station by the Federal Government in 1988

●  Acquisition of site in 2003 by the Huntsville Train Station Society (HTSS)

OVERVIEW

CULTURE STATION

●  To guide the continuous and appropriate transformation of the train station.

●  Reinforce its cultural and historical identity through: o Recognition as a Culture Station o Improving pedestrian access o Improving amenity space o Altering interior functionality

PURPOSE

CULTURE STATION

●  Conduct a feasibility study focusing on the construction of a handicap access ramp leading from Main Street to the Culture Station.

RECOMMENDATION

CULTURE STATION

●  Create an exterior amenity area under the existing overhang of the site ●  The amenity area will include, but is not limited to:

o Muskoka chair seating o Bike racks o Planters o Deck

RECOMMENDATION

CULTURE STATION

●  Create a tourist information center within the Culture Station: o Enhance the inner social functionality of the space o Provide tourist information including pamphlets created by C-Link

RECOMMENDATION

CULTURAL ASSETS

PAMPHLETS

●  The cultural assets within Huntsville have been placed into categories in order to create individual identities for the assets.

●  These categories are: o Romance, o Sports, o Natural Assets, o Events & Festivals, o Built Heritage, and o Cultural Spaces.

CULTURAL ASSETS

PAMPHLETS

●  To implement the cultural asset pamphlets to be on display in the Chamber of Commerce and the Culture Station.

RECOMMENDATION

PAMPHLETS

PAMPHLETS EXPERIENCE Charm THE

PAMPHLETS EXPERIENCE Exhilarati

on THE

PAMPHLETS EXPERIENCE Outdoors THE

PAMPHLETS EXPERIENCE Celebrati

on THE

PAMPHLETS EXPERIENCE History THE

PAMPHLETS EXPERIENCE Culture THE

SIGNAGE

SIGNAGE RECOMMENDATIONS

SIGNAGE RECOMMENDATIONS

GOVERNANCE

GOVERNANCE

To form a partnership between the Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Huntsville

A partnership will encourage: ●  Creates a formal association between the two organizations, ●  Proficiency in the implementation process of recommendations, and ●  Section 2.6 of the Official Plan encourages the partnerships between

residents, local organizations and the government.

RECOMMENDATION

•  Huntsville has great potential to maximize its cultural assets and increase year round tourism,

•  The recommendations made conform to official plans, government documents, and other planning reports completed for the Town

•  Our recommendations were made in hopes of:

O Strengthening cultural tourism within the Town of Huntsville and O Creating a cultural hub that will be an exemplary of connected creative culture.

Conclusion

CONNECTING Creative CULTURE

C LINK