Kleinburg Economic Development Strategy
A community’s downtown is its heart and soul and Kleinburg’s main street has enjoyed a rich and varied history. In recent decades, however, it has gone through economic changes due to shifts in shopping and purchasing patterns.
To address Kleinburg’s economic challenges, the City of Vaughan undertook and completed an area-focused Kleinburg Economic Development Strategy (KEDS) intending to create a vision and guidelines for the long-term economic revitalization of the Kleinburg downtown and commercial core area.
The KEDS consultative process engaged stakeholder groups, community partners, residents and consumers in assessing the retail, tourism and local draw of Kleinburg. The approach for the project followed the successful Mainstreet National Trust for Historic Preservation model, based on the four pillars of community engagement and collaboration; physical design and enhanced natural environment; marketing and communications; and economic investment.
The resulting strategy is based on defining Kleinburg’s niche as an outdoor recreational paradise and a meeting place for visitors and the local community. The five goals articulated include:
- Position the Kleinburg Business Improvement Association (KBIA) as a catalyst for change.
- Be investment ready.
- Establish Kleinburg as an outdoor recreation and meeting place that people will seek out to visit.
- Use placemaking to create the “Kleinburg experience” based on its rich, natural heritage.
- Eliminate barriers to development.
The five goals, or themes, are accompanied by action steps that will guide the work of the KBIA and other stakeholders. The KEDS proposes that an empowered and effective KBIA is critical to Kleinburg’s revitalization, assisting landowners to reposition their properties for potential retail tenants, as well as redefining the types and mixes of retail and tourism uses that will enhance visitation and spending.
Kleinburg Economic Development Strategy – A Mainstreet Revitalization Project, June 2011 Report
Kleinburg Economic Development Strategy – Update from 2011 Strategy