BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIAL DIRECTORY 2012 - City of Cambridge

BUSINESS AND
INDUSTRIAL
DIRECTORY
MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR OF CAMBRIDGE
Greetings Everyone:
We’ve accomplished a great deal over the last year. There
has been a significant focus on critical infrastructure with an
investment of over $21 Million throughout the city to address
our community amenities. The City of Cambridge team has
successfully completed work on six arenas, two indoor pools,
and the main public works facility on Bishop Street. It was a
renewal program that focused on enhancing accessible
services for people of all abilities, and took an overall
environmental stewardship approach – a track record for
which we are well known. The result was a reduction of an
estimated 300 tonnes in greenhouse gas emissions per year
as a result of the improvements. Our environmental footprint
matters to us, as it does with so many industrial and business
leaders in Cambridge.
Solidifying our stewardship commitment, our Corporate Sustainability Plan (CSP) received the
nod from Cambridge City Council in late 2011. This is an important policy that brings together
the currently approved master plans in various areas such as economic development, arts and
culture, community services and corporate communications, and others within the city with a
view to strategically addressing and prioritizing these initiatives. The CSP gives us a framework
to move forward and solidifies our sustainability commitment which is so imperative to attract
new investment.
The value of building permits has increased in 2011 over 2010 numbers and it’s a great sign
that private development is back on track after a difficult few years of global economic
recession. This dynamic and strategic growth and private investment city-wide has contributed
significantly to our vitality and we continue to look at ways to streamline development and offer
support for new opportunities. Projects like the Cambridge Performing Arts Centre, Conestoga
College Engineering and Information Technology campus, the transformation of the old Kanmet
site called Preston Meadows, the Mill Restaurant, Waterscape, River Bank Lofts and Heartwood
Place have demonstrated a renewed commitment to Cambridge. Well known and experienced
development firms like Perimeter Developments have proposals in place to upgrade and
renovate a number of historic buildings including the Old Right House at Main and Ainslie. This
area recently saw a $1Million facelift as we needed to replace and upgrade underground
infrastructure and the City enhanced the project by widening the sidewalks, adding granite curbs
and enhancing streetscaping with innovative approaches.
At my ‘State of the City’ address for 2011, I spoke to the global partnerships and opportunities
particularly in China and other Asia-pacific areas. We learned from the former Consul General
in Shanghai that this was indeed a viable business attraction opportunity and that growth has
exploded in China, surpassing that of the other BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) areas
combined. I also spoke to the need to work with various levels of government and other
municipal partners to tackle the marketplace.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION II MAY 2012