At a general meeting of our volunteers held June 18th, 2004, we agreed on the following draft position regarding potential new development in the downtown section of the Port Dalhousie Heritage Conservation District.

PROUD will support positive Mixed-Use (combined Residential and Commercial) development that clearly benefits Port Dalhousie. We also stand by our commitment to the large majority of residents who supported heritage designation to help preserve the unique heritage of Port Dalhousie. Port is recognized as one of the best remaining examples of a largely intact 19th century canal village in the world. Accordingly, we have developed a set of principles that address the conditions under which PROUD could support a development. These include:

1. The 19th Century Canal Village Streetscape, Look and Feel of the Commercial Core is Maintained.

This is consistent with the City's Secondary Plan for Port Dalhousie which has been followed by other new development in the past and states that: "New construction should be sympathetic to the existing built environment in terms of height, mass, colour and materials."
Specifically:
.Three-storey height limit must be maintained on all new buildings facing any of the streets and similar/existing materials and design must be used.
. Design of new buildings within the Central Core (behind the street fronts) must also be architecturally consistent in design and materials. These may exceed the three-storey limit providing overall height does not exceed that at the Lock street front.
. New construction must maintain pedestrian access throughout consistent with 19th century streetscape. Should it be necessary to close Hogan's Alley, similar access must be provided through to the lake.
. The use of architectural features that are not consistent with 19th century village architecture must be avoided.

2. Individual Heritage Buildings Are Preserved.

As called for in the Heritage Guidelines and the Heritage Assessment Report approved by City Council,"when change is considered, heritage buildings and their defining features and/or materials must be protected…" Specifically, this means preserving: Lincoln Fabrics, the Lock Tender's Shanty, Dalhousie House, the Jail, Lions Tavern, the bank building, Lakeside Hotel, the Spice of Life Building and every building facing Lakeport Rd. from Murphy's to the Port Mansion, inclusively.

3. Existing Trees/Landscaping and Green Space are Maintained and Enhanced.

This is a priority identified in the Heritage Assessment Report. Mature trees and shrubs must be preserved and new plantings must be consistent. There should be no net loss of publicly accessible green space.

4. Parking /Traffic Problems Should be Minimized.

Ideally a new development will improve the current parking/traffic situation. It should definitely not adversely impact the current situation.

PROUD formed a Downtown Development Committee to further discuss and refine the principles outlined above. The Committee used an extensive quantitative research survey to validate the draft position and ensure that the principles accurately reflected the views of the overall community. The Survey Results show that the vast majority of residents strongly support our position as drafted.

PROUD (Port Realizing Our Unique Distinction)