Priorities are being set by the new City Council of Orillia, and they’re not sure if scooping up new property should be at the top of their list.
Up for grabs is the Huronia Regional Centre property, known as the HRC.
The site is currently owned by the Ontario Realty Corporation and currently has environmental protection.
Interest has been expressed informally so far by the City of Orillia, Georgian College and even the OPP, but at this point no one has taken action towards acquiring the land.
Orillia Mayor Angelo Oris shares that until there is an official deal on the table, or real interest has been expressed, no one is moving forward just yet.
As a council Orsi says they’re focused on ascertaining if the City has a real need for the space, and if so, what are the costs associated in the purchase and development.
Some community members have expressed concern over maintaining access to the waterfront, but that’s an issue Orsi believes has already been addressed in the official plan documents.
Mayor Orsi admits that while the issue isn’t a top priority now, you never know what tomorrow could bring, so council is keeping their ears open for suggestions from the community.
At the end of the day Orsi believes that whoever does acquire the property will use it in the best interest of the city as a whole.
The first official City Council meeting of 2011 is set for Monday the 17th. Orsi says the new council has already jumped into the issues feet first and now they just have to focus on some catch up and start getting things lined up.
