Queensway (Simcoe, Ontario)
The Queensway is a street that is considered to be the legal name of Highway 3 within the town of Simcoe, Ontario, Canada. The westernmost limit is at the Quarter Line Road and the easternmost limit is at the road that leads to the Cleaver family apple orchards.
It has nationally recognizable restaurants like Boston Pizza, Dairy Queen (open only in The Spring, summer, and early autumn months), McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and Wendy's. Burger King was once found on the Queensway but was replaced by Wendy's in the early 1990s. So far, there has been no plans by Burger King to re-establish themselves either on the Queensway or elsewhere in Simcoe. While most restaurants are accessible almost solely by automobile, the Wendy's is frequently patroned by the local high school students because it is relatively close to their high school.
For merchants, tradespeople, businesspeople and tourists alike, the Queensway provides a means for people to quickly explore the town of Simcoe. In fact, the Queensway is the life blood of the town that allows transport trucks to deliver their cargo quickly and for taxis to shuttle their passengers across Simcoe quicker. The Queensway has existed for as long as Highway 3 has existed and it has played a pivotal role in the growth of Simcoe and Norfolk County in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Expansion and economic growth
The grand opening of the Wal-Mart in 2008 will spur on development in the eastern part of Simcoe as the need to house new Wal-Mart employees will add fuel to the housing growth that Norfolk County is experiencing in the 2000s. Although these jobs will not involve membership in a trade union, this new employment opportunity is expected to create dozens of jobs. Automobiles can be purchased from the numerous automobile dealerships across the Queensway.
However, economic growth for the Queensway has not always been positive. From the early 2000s to the year 2007, the Queensway languished under the tenure of former Norfolk County mayor Rita Kalmbach, as she focused more on the Port Dover area. In addition to this, the rest of Norfolk County became economically stagnant until Ms. Kalmbach was voted out of office in the 2006 municipal election by a majority of eligible voters. The currently implemented plan to increase the economy of Norfolk County by improving the most frequently traveled street in the county seat of Simcoe was created by Norfolk County mayor Dennis Travale in an attempt to lower unemployment rates within the town.
Because of the rapid growth and construction of new stores and restaurants across the Queensway, sales from the stores along the Queensway currently rival those of The Downtown core. The downtown core houses mostly independent stores with the notable exception of its newest pizza restaurant Pizza Pizza. Overall, the Queensway has seen unprecedented growth of new commercial property and profit. In order to compete with the burgeoning Queensway, a minority of town residents suggest turning the downtown business area into an indoor mall. Also due to the rapid growth, many developers are purchasing prime land on the Queensway.
This prime land is located just outside the traditional city limits of Simcoe and has come under opposition from conservative downtown merchants who oppose a public transit service. This public transit service would lower the amount of fossil fuels a person would waste to travel to these big box stores that are outside Simcoe proper. Within 20 years, the price of land on the Queensway that is purchased for a corporate or individual-run commercial business could rise by 300%, Providing that current Norfolk County mayor Dennis Travale wins the 2010 municipal election that will take place around October or November of 2010.
Zoning
While some residential units remain either on or near the street, the area has been zoned mostly commercial with little residential or industrial since the 1990s. New housing, however, is being constructed on the western fringe of the Queensway where the Norview Manor old age home used to be. Advertisements Appear in electronic and non-electronic forms throughout the Queensway and there are also independent restaurants and stores that are on the Queensway. For example, The Barrel serves Italian cuisine like pasta and pizza. While The Barrel has been a long lasting establishment in the town of Simcoe, the owner's daughter has ownership of a CASUAL dining restaurant where the Dallas Steakhouse used to be.
Close to the Queensway on secondary roads and on Norfolk Street (Highway 24), industrial buildings like factories and manufacturing plants can be easily driven to. Henry H. Misner Ltd., a historic fishing company, is building a fish factory that will process the fish after being caught in Lake Erie (Source: The Simcoe Reformer - August 16, 2007). This factory is expected to replace the antiquated fish plant in Port Dover.
Convenience to tourists
This street is car-friendly with only a fair amount of sidewalks. In the summertime, this road can be used to quickly access the Friendship Festival. The only road that is needed is to transfer on Norfolk Street (also known as Highway 24) at the Queensway-Norfolk Street intersection. The total distance from the westernmost point of Queensway West and the easternmost point of Queensway East is approximately 5 kilometers. Drivers using the Queensway can also find gas stations that are either on the Queensway or near the Queensway for convienence purposes. While the Queensway is not the most dangerous street in Simcoe, it is one of the fastest streets and the traffic can rival that of Montreal during rush hour.
An automobile can traverse this distance in 15 minutes while it would take around 30-45 minutes to cover the same distance by walking. Nationally recognized hotels are found on the Queensway that offer high-speed Internet services and free cable television. On the western part of the Queensway, an 80-room resort is currently being constructed that is geared towards the businessmen and executives who engage in business with Toytetsu (Source: The Simcoe Reformer - August 23, 2007). Apples and apple-related food items can also be bought from The Apple Place which is found alongside the Queensway East. The various recognizable stores currently include Canadian Tire, Zellers and Real Canadian Superstore. Nationally renowned department stores Wal-Mart, Staples Business Depot, and Home Depot will eventually be present along with a several Chinese restaurants in the local area. These stores will be completely operational by Easter of 2008. Tourists who arrive in Simcoe from the east will notice farm land beloning to local families. These tourists are reminded to enjoy the landscape because the land might be re-zoned for industry, stores, and/or housing by the year 2037.