CASE STUDY

Port Hope – Walton Street Reconstruction Business & Community Continuity Program

BRIEF

Support The Municipality of Port Hope as it grappled with the potentially crippling effect that reconstructing its iconic, heritage downtown would have on its community, its local economy, and 80 businesses directly impacted along Walton Street, Port Hope’s main shopping district and its key tourist attraction. 

ACTION

  • In Good Inc. developed a functional framework driven by a “Made in Port Hope – For Port Hope” vision to ensure Community Development, and Community & Business Continuity take a front seat and primary role in the planning for, and ongoing management of, this disruptive 9 month long event. 
  • The framework was premised on direct experience leading a mirrored project for the Belleville Downtown Revitalization project (circa 2015-2018), and through the shared experiences of other municipalities.
  • In Good Inc., as partners with Port Hope staff and community leaders, strategically managed this urgent and multi-dimensional project from start to finish; guiding and assisting the municipality of Port Hope in the creation and implementation of a series of continuity, engagement, communications and implementation plans and processes to position the municipality ahead of the known and predicted impacts of the Walton Street Reconstruction Project. 
  • The process required an ongoing strong working relationship with Port Hope’s  Works & Engineering, Economic Development, Communications, Parks,Recreation & Culture departments, Transit, By-Law Enforcement, Building Services, Emergency Services and the office of the CAO.
  • This included the creation of the widely promoted and supported “Port Hope Digs Walton” brand, and a counterpart “Be Walton – Love Local” program of innovative partnerships, enticing events, and business spotlights to keep local, regional and visiting shoppers coming to Walton Street during construction. 

RESULTS

The benefits of this lengthy and successful project have been many for the municipality, its businesses, and Port Hope’s economic development on the whole. 

  • The Walton Street Heritage Shopping District’s businesses, while all experiencing disruption and, in many cases, low to significant negative impact on their year-over-year revenue, ended up increasing their population with three new businesses opening during the reconstruction process.  
  • The great majority of businesses interviewed during end-of-program outreach and assessment reported feeling supported by both the Municipality and the local BIA, and further expressed no intention to downsize or discontinue their businesses in 2025. This is an unprecedented achievement for disruptions of this length and impact in municipal business districts.
  • Another “evergreen” result of this project has been much deeper collaboration across a wide variety of municipal departments, local arts and culture organizations (The Capitol Theatre and Critical Mass) and local partners (BIA, Chamber), helmed by Port Hope’s Economic Development team.

An incredibly well-attended slate of augmented annual holiday season events held on and around the newly reconstructed Walton Street provided a profound moment of community celebration in November; a proper ending to a triumph of collective action and determined, well-funded community-focused planning.

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