Port Hope Sustainable Retail Village

Port Hope

Intention Statement

“To promote co-operative partnerships in creating a green, sustainable, commercial building project”

i. Vision

The clients vision was to create a pioneering, integrated, sustainable and environmentally friendly commercial project that includes cutting-edge green technologies, energy efficient buildings, sustainable living systems as well as co-operative educational opportunities. We intend to demonstrate, in practical ways, the enormous promise of sustainable building, renewable energy, and co-operative social entrepreneurial community enhancing partnerships. We are committed to creating new collaborations with local town communities, business enterprises, educators and learning institutions to work together democratically, with transparent, triple bottom line (TBL) methods.

Port Hope Sustainable Village Site Plan

ii. Project Scope

Vision

Our vision is to develop a green, eco-friendly, and self-sustainable business and commercial park. The concept, structure and experience for this development will have a ‘WOW’ effect that gives a signature icon image and will feature Port Hope as being the leader in historical preservation, high-quality life style with open spaces and the concept of live, work, shop, stay and play in a highly educated and welcoming neighborhood, including summer attractions in signature sports as well as eco-friendly, cultural events.

The development will create robust, strategic economic growth, investment, and job creation opportunities in that area immediately outside of the Greenbelt (which limits the growth of GTA according to the Ontario Places to Grow Act). The Green-Eco Friendly retail, business, trade, commercial, industry and office park will show our commitment to support the town, strengthen the community, and market Port Hope to the rest of the North America as the “preferred destination to go to visit as a tourist throughout the year”.

For entrepreneurs it should be place of first choice to do business and grow as part of a new vibrant community which enjoys best of all worlds: near to Toronto but still be away in fresh open air, clean environment to bring up family and build successful entrepreneurial businesses, as well as encourage a highly skilled and creative workforce who enjoys this modern lifestyle.

The triple bottom line (TBL) method captures an expanded spectrum of values and criteria for measuring organizational (and societal) success; economic, environmental and social. "People, Planet and Profit" is used to succinctly describe the triple bottom lines and the goal of sustainability. The concept of TBL demands that a company's responsibility be to 'stakeholders' rather than shareholders. In this case, 'stakeholders' refers to anyone who is influenced, either directly or indirectly, by the actions of the firm. According to the stakeholder theory, the business entity should be used as a vehicle for coordinating stakeholder interests, instead of maximizing shareholder (owner) profit.

Port Hope Sustainable Village Site Plan

Objectives

The development will achieve the following objectives:

  • Value added Employment creation to move to Entrepreneurship
  • Preservation and strengthening of Port Hope’s image as place of preference to work and live
  • Motivate traffic to Port Hope through the spearhead of this unique world class retail development (400,000 vehicles per week pass-by the 401, according to the traffic report)
  • Landmark, icon image will be a feature of the project that will signify a ‘gateway’ portal for Port Hope.
iii. Building structure & materials
  • ICF & other similar building systems will be utilized to construct the buildings.
  • Solar, wind, geothermal alternative energy recourses as well as ‘passive’ & ‘natural’ as possible, energy conservation construction
  • Blackwater/greywater, and natural watershed waste management methods will be encouraged.
  • Greenroofs integrated into the buildings.

Preliminary Master Plan

iv. Town Economic Integration Initiatives

Enhancing the economy of the local township

  • Through jobs, programs & educational opportunities.
  • Alliances will be developed with educational institutions as well as natural & sustainable building organizations to encourage cross-utilization of the properties facilities as well as the town’s resources.
  • Specialized programs may be created and piloted, targeting local youth and the unemployed. Local youth community centres may be established offering a variety of activities.

A Master Plan will be created to provide flexibility in responding to both current and future needs, broken down into phases as required by the growth of the project.

v. Project Components

The proposed Master Plan will create the best use of land as well as flexible enough to change the labeled use of the buildings based on the changing progress on marketing, sales, expansion of the project, and partnership with the town. New ideas that fit into the vision will also be welcomed and included into the site plan on an ongoing basis.

A few ideas we are pursuing are as follows;

  • hotel
  • conference centre
  • banquet hall
  • offices
  • restaurants
  • retail outlet mall
  • retail box store
  • gas station plaza
  • plaza
  • restaurant village
  • High-end RV recreational Vehicle center
  • Farmer’s Market – moving the existing seasonal market to an enclosed environment for year-round use