The Town of Essex is located in southwestern Ontario, approximately twenty-eight (28) kilometres southeast of the City of Windsor and is one of seven (7) lower‐tier municipalities in the County of Essex. The Town of Essex consists of four (4) distinct and unique Centres — Essex Centre, Colchester Centre, Harrow Centre and McGregor Centre. The current population of the Town of Essex is 20,427.
Harrow Centre, with a population of 2,710 people, is located in the Town of Essex (the Town) and is the second largest urban center in the Town. It is situated in the southern half of the Town, in the midst of highly productive agricultural lands, which include primarily field crops, but several horse farms and vineyards. It has a modest, stable industrial base, it serves the retail/institutional needs of the rural population and it is closely tied to regional recreational and tourist corridors.
The Town has been working with the Harrow Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) to provide new street furniture for its commercial main street, King Street. This includes new public benches, planters, waste receptacles and street trees. Funds permitting, in the longer term, Council wishes to undertake broader street improvements to enhance the aesthetic and functional character of its main street and intersecting Queen Street within the downtown core.
A Community Improvement Plan is also in place and downtown Harrow is in the CIP Project Area. Various business owners have taken advantage of the grants offered primarily for façade improvements. Harrow has a traditional rural centre downtown with a mix of older building facades reflecting their historical character and updated facades more reflective of the type of business occupying the building today.
Harrow’s history is deeply rooted in agriculture, the railroad and a strong sense of community. The Harrow Agricultural Fair has been actively and successfully occurring each fall for over 150 years, attracting thousands of local residents and people from across the county and country. The downtown contains a rich collection of historical buildings dating back to the origins of Harrow and some street configurations are reminiscent of the horse drawn carriage days.
Council and the Chamber have undertaken to adopt a downtown streetscape plan (SP) for Harrow which will acknowledge its place in the Town of Essex, yet recognize and build on its own history and unique character. The successful proponent will have demonstrated experience in similar projects. Experience working with Municipalities in Ontario will be considered particularly asset.
