A new 27,000 sq ft commercial plaza is getting the green light from Lakeshore Council and Mayor Tom Bain feels the new development shows the economy is picking back up in the town.
"I think it's really the beginning," says Bain. "We have a number of projects, three or four, on the back burner that we're working on."
The Lakeshore mayor hopes the new plaza is just the first domino to fall.
"Word is out there that Lakeshore is the place to be and this plaza is really what we hope is the kickoff for more development," says Bain. "It's great to see development because new development draws more development."
The commercial plaza expected to house a variety of businesses and services is long overdue for development according to Bain.
"With the downturn in the economy, we had run a phase there where these types of projects just weren't coming forward," says Bain. "Now all of a sudden, we're having three, four, five of them coming forward."
The new plaza is to be built on County Rd. 22 next to the Tim Horton's between Emery Dr. and St. Mary's Rd.
Despite supporting the new development, Councillor Len Janisse and Deputy Mayor Al Fazio were both concerned access to the new plaza could create traffic issues.
"It's already a congested area with the Tim Horton's there and I brought it up due to that congestion and administration assured me that [the access] is satisfactory," says Fazio.
Bain hopes construction of the new plaza will begin this spring.