LaSalle's mayor admits it's distressing to hear a consultant say he had no idea LaSalle was a waterfront community until he went to Front Rd.
The consultant has put together what Ken Antaya calls "a plan of attack" to guide growth in LaSalle over the next 20 years. It identifies 15 issues including stagnated economic growth on the town's waterfront drag.
"I think we have that waterfront that we can try and focus a little more on," says Antaya. "He said 'it's a very long stretch of highway. There's no consistency to it. You should probably try and use a focus area -- rejuvenate that and try and expand on that as the years go on.'"
It wasn't all negative, though. The consultant also gave LaSalle high marks for its trail system, calling it "the poster child for active transportation in Canada", and he was particularly impressed with LaSalle Woods.
"He says 'you put your money where your mouth is.,'" says Antaya. "'It's one thing to restrict development there, but you've gone out there, and you've purchased that land.'"
The town also received encouragement for its town centre.
Once the issues identified in the consultant's report have the blessing of government agencies affected by any possible changes, the consultant will put together a draft official plan. That's expected in August.