Community News

TOWN PREPARES FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH

EDO CITES HIGHWAY 17 TWINNING, BUSINESS HUB AS OPPORTUNITIES

JONATHAN MULVIHILL jmulvihill@ metroland. com

Renfrew is poised for economic growth in the near future, according to economic development officer Dan Laverdure.

"I've had lots of conversations in the past little while since I've come on board and it's partly due to growth," he said during a breakfast networking event on March 14. "Growth is great; we need to have the residences and the places for people to live."

Laverdure says the eventual Highway 17 expansion is one such opportunity.

"Having interchanges at Gillan Road, O'Brien Road and Bruce Street was really strategic in regard to where our properties lie," he said. "Those will be crucial for traffic flow for the future with the growth in the town and the surrounding areas."

Laverdure adds the

town has already seen new developments in response to the expansion.

"We're already seeing interested parties looking at the town," he said.

When comparing census data from 2006 and 2021 for other areas where highways were expanded (including Arnprior, Carleton Place and Kemptville), Laverdure says populations increased following those development projects, with some continuing to grow.

"It gives us a good idea of the growth we're expecting with the four lanes coming to Renfrew," he said.

Residential lands are not the only ones up for grabs. Laverdure says Ontario as a whole has very few industrial/commercial properties available, while Renfrew has a fair share of available lands waiting for industry.

"I think this strategically places Renfrew and area in an opportunities situation," he said. "We will be working diligently in the coming months and years to develop so that we are ready for developers. Developers right now are not waiting."

For current and future small businesses, a business hive will be set up at town hall within the next couple of months as a onestop shop that ensures entrepreneurs, business startups and self-employed

"We will be working diligently in the coming months and years to develop so that we are ready for developers. Developers right now are not waiting." - Dan Laverdure, EDO

residents have a cost-effective place to do business. Organizations signed on to this hub include the Renfrew BIA, Renfrew and Area Chamber of Commerce and the Renfrew County Community Futures Development Corporation.

"We've seen through the pandemic that we have a lot of people working from home and that is not going to change by the looks of things," Laverdure said. "We want to create a space where there's synergies for businesses to thrive and grow."

He adds along with offering regional economic resources, the hub will generate revenue in hotel space, cubicles, boardrooms and conference room rentals.

"This is for small businesses to have spaces if they need to have conference meetings one day," Laverdure said. "They can access it for a day, a month or even once a week."

Current and former business heads are excited about the upcoming growth, including Steve Maxwell, a former owner of Renfrew Home Hardware Building Centre. He notes that neighbouring municipalities will also work with Renfrew.

"Overflow is going to happen outside the boundaries of Renfrew and that infrastructure is going to affect Horton as well," he said. "I'm interested in seeing how they're going to be involved with the services."

Julie Villamere of Renfrew ontrac employment research services says the organization has pockets of money for small businesses and entrepreneurs to get started.

"Whether you're hiring now or in the future, or if you're retraining or training, you can have up to 100 per cent of your training covered," she said.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: We spoke with the EDO and business leaders to see what Renfrew's plans for growth are in the immediate future.

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2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://communitynews.pressreader.com/article/281578064908956

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