Sherbrooke takes another kick at the can with “Well Sud”
The Quartier Well Sud is the official name of Sherbrooke Mayor Steve Lussier’s re-launched take on revitalizing the city’s downtown core. Coming a few months after the withdrawal of the Well Inc. project championed by former Mayor Bernard Sévigny, the new plan was created by an advisory committee made up of elected officials, citizens, representatives of community organizations, representatives of the cultural and the business communities.
"We learned from the Well Inc. project," Lussier said. "We have listened to the people of the sector and we will develop it by building on the strengths already present to ensure the revitalization of Wellington South."
Although the announcement of the new project on Monday provided a bigpicture look at the new approach without details about timing or costs, the Mayor highlighted the large number of groups and organizations present at the event as evidence of community support for the initiative.
“There is really something big coming,” Lussier said, explaining that he wants to see calls for tenders on initial projects out before the start of the summer holiday season. “It is important to do something quickly with the properties the city bought.”
The area of focus for the revitalization project remains the same as the Well Inc. project, covering Wellington Street South from King Street West to Aberdeen. The project also continues to have a priority area, located near the
municipal parking lot on Dépôt Street on the lots purchased by the city under the previous initiative.
Advisory committee chair Chantal L'espérance indicated that several projects are currently under development for the area including a cultural incubator, a healthy eating centre, a neighborhood gathering space/day center, coworking spaces and a social innovation laboratory, among others. L'espérance added that, pending approval from the City Council, a subsidy will be put in place for local business and building owners to renovate their structures and help beautify the sector.
Speaking to the difference between this new concept and the plan under the previous administration, the Mayor clarified that “Well Inc” was not abandoned in its entirety but rather reviewed and reinvented/
“We adapted it,” he said, pointing out that several items such as the reconstruction of the nearby parking garage will still go ahead in some form even if not exactly as previously outlined.
Pending the call for proposals, the City of Sherbrooke will carry out several actions this summer including the creation of an “ephemeral park” on the former grounds of the Maysen Pub, the installation of new street furniture, and the hosting of the Amalgam urban festival in August. Action Saint-françois, the Regional Council for the Environment and other local partners will also soon be organizing a major community cleanup in the downtown area, to which the public will be invited.
“These are all small actions that will go a long way,” L’esperance said, explaining that the hope is to get people re-engaged with the sector in the lead-up to more significant developments.
The City of Sherbrooke will hold a second round of public consultations on the new plan in the fall.