Dear Cobourg Residents,

As Council prepares to take a recess for the summer season, I wanted to inform you of some changes to my office hours. This week, my business partner at The Market & Smør announced that she will be moving on to new work opportunities. I will therefore be returning to the Market part-time for the next few months to manage the transition until a new team structure is up and running.

I am eagerly awaiting the return to my team and community in Downtown Cobourg. It has been 19 months since I was elected as Mayor and in that time, our business community and Economic Development team have achieved great progress. In 2023 we celebrated 22 grand openings in Downtown Cobourg. We are seeing stronger occupancy rates downtown than we have in the last 5 and 10 years. Our Planning Department is helping us achieve our goal to see more people living in Downtown Cobourg with four downtown development projects currently active. Including Beachwalk Flats which are under construction and when built will consist of seven commercial units, twenty residential units and three live/work units. The infill development project at 25 James Street East will include 27 new affordable and market rental apartment units. The property at 296 George Street is proposed for a fifteen-unit apartment building and five townhouses. 22 and 36 Queen Street proposes as a 4 and 5 storey condominium building with ground floor commercial units and 67 residential units.

I continue to be impressed with the skill and dedication of our staff and senior management team at the Town of Cobourg. Our Council has come to form a strong team made up of distinct individuals. While we may argue from opposite sides of the table, we respect each other greatly. We also know that without our peers’ insights, we would not be forced to see perspective. Over the coming months, you will see a sharing of duties and Mayoral tasks amongst Council as I split my time between the role as Mayor and local business owner. While I am committed to keeping my Open Office Hours on Tuesdays, the Deputy Mayor and members of Council, will be taking meetings in the Mayors Office the rest of the week.

Additionally, I have set a goal this summer to work on securing Recreational Funding to address our aging Centennial Pool and growing request for additional Pickleball facilities. I look forward to reporting back to this community on any progress I have made.

I look forward to spending the next several months serving both my community as Mayor and as a local businessperson. As always, if you have any questions or need to reach me, please contact the Mayor’s Office at mayor@cobourg.ca or 905-372-4301.

Sincerely,
Lucas Cleveland