The Landmark site in downtown Okotoks can be an anchor for efforts to revitalize the town’s historic core, but it doesn’t have to be a plaza to succeed.
Once the home of the town’s fire hall and now an empty lot, many see the site as a possible home for a civic plaza. It’s located in the heart of the community next to the Olde Towne Plaza. It’s surrounded by restaurants, shops and businesses.
It has all the ingredients, but there’s one problem: it’s small.
Okotoks is growing and any plan for a civic plaza needs to be created with the future in mind.
The existing Olde Towne Plaza opened in 2008, when Okotoks population was around 20,000. It’s lightly used for much of the year, but as anyone who has attended Light Up Okotoks each November can attest to, it’s getting a little tight during large events.
Okotoks is now home to close to 29,000 people and growing. A plaza will need to be able to accommodate potentially large events and crowds into the future.
This debate extends back several years now. The site was sold in 2011, with plans to build a medical office/retail building. When the developer backed away from the project, residents approached the Town to look at using the site as a central plaza. In the years that followed the Town brought in tourism consultant Roger Brooks who recommended a plaza as a central anchor for the downtown area. For many, the Landmark site is the place.
It’s not the only option the Town has for the land. It could, once again, be put up for sale.
Council has rezoned the land as direct control, potentially allowing a variety of businesses such as a retail, restaurants or a microbrewery. The objective is to bring more people downtown by encouraging businesses with a focus on entertainment and hospitality to move into the area.
The Landmark site could eventually become home to a plaza or a microbrewery. Whatever it is, council needs to make its decision with one goal in mind – creating a vibrant and lively area for businesses and residents alike.
