Council endorsement of key design elements

On June 4, 2025, Town Council endorsed the recommended design approach for High Street, setting the direction for detailed design and preparation for construction (Council presentation slides; June 4 Council report). The approved concepts include:

• Underground hydro relocation – All overhead hydro lines within the Sutton Downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA) will be buried underground to improve aesthetics, reliability and long-term value.
• Streetscaping in the downtown BIA – Flexible mountable curbs, pedestrian-friendly bump-outs and the reconfiguration of Market Square Crescent into a more usable public space.
• Outside the BIA – Full restoration of sidewalks and boulevards with added greenspaces.
• Gateway feature – A new wayfinding-style entrance sign near Highway 48 to welcome people to downtown Sutton.

Council also approved financing to support these enhancements, recognizing this project as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform High Street.

Community engagement

On June 10, 2025, the Town hosted a Public Open House at the Kin Community Centre in Sutton from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The event was held in an informal drop-in format, with display boards illustrating the recommended design concepts. Town staff were available to answer questions and attendees were encouraged to complete comment forms or provide feedback by email. Input received at the session is being used to refine the design as the project moves forward into the detailed design stage. View the printouts from this session.

Progress since June

Since Council’s endorsement and the June 10 open house:

• Detailed design is underway: The project team is advancing design drawings that reflect the approved concepts.
• Hydro coordination: Town staff and consultants are working closely with Hydro One to incorporate underground hydro relocation into the design.
• Agency engagement continues: Coordination is ongoing with Hydro One and York Region to align timelines and technical requirements.
• Bridge rehabilitation added: Since ownership of the High Street bridge will be transferred from York Region to the Town, rehabilitation of this structure will now be included as part of the overall project.
• Technical studies: Investigations into storm sewer, watermain and sanitary upgrades are being integrated with the streetscape design.
• Parking utilization study: Parking data collection and demand analysis continues through summer 2025 to confirm existing on-street parking utilization on High Street BIA.
• Development of a revised project schedule: The length of time required for both the design and construction phases of the project has increased as a result of significant expansion of the project scope. The following scope elements have been added to the project: relocation of overhead wires to underground, bridge rehabilitation, and growth-related improvements to sanitary sewer and watermain. The project team is working to re-define the project schedule including re-evaluation of the least disruptive and most beneficial approach to sequencing of construction activities.

Next steps

• Completion of pre-design report and advancement into detailed design based on Council’s endorsed approach.
• Continued coordination with Hydro One and York Region to integrate underground hydro relocation, bridge rehabilitation and nearby community growth infrastructure upgrades.