Lundy’s Lane serves it up
As the Lundy’s Lane business community prepares for another Fall Restaurant Week, it’s also excited about future streetscape improvement plans for the busy area.
David Jovanovic, project administrator for the Lundy’s Lane business improvement association, said between Oct. 12-26, 13 restaurants will offer two or three-course, price-fixed lunches and dinners.
A number of establishments will also offer express lunches at one, low-fixed price for the diner who does not have a lot of time, he said.
“We’re expecting in excess of 7,000 (patrons) for this upcoming event, so it’s growing,” said Jovanovic, adding Lundy’s Lane also offers a Winter Restaurant Week in February.
“The real, exciting thing from our end is that the patrons are really engaged, and look forward to restaurant week. It’s no longer just us promoting it, it’s people looking forward to it.”
Jovanovic said the event allows locals from around Niagara to enjoy locally owned and operated restaurants.
“It’s really become a big thing for us. Our patrons are happy, our chefs are happy — they’re heavily engaged in the community with a lot of fundraising activities of all nature, and here they’re given the opportunity to showcase their talents to a local audience, and to visitors as well.”
For more information about restaurant week, visit lundyslane.com.
Jovanovic said Lundy’s Lane offers visitors with a diverse set of options, whether it be restaurants, live music, and shopping.
“It’s getting people to understand we have 280-plus businesses out on Lundy’s Lane. We have every type of service available.”
He said Lundy’s Lane is an interesting area because while it’s popular with tourists, it’s “really locals oriented.”
“We gear and market primarily to the locals, and then the spinoff comes (when tourists asks locals where they go for food and entertainment and Lundy’s Lane is mentioned). Locals tell the story of where they actually go, so we’re attracting more tourists because of our growth in popularity amongst the locals.”
Jovanovic said Lundy’s Lane continues to evolve, as a streetscape master plan, and community improvement plan, is set to go before city council later this fall for final approval of design and implementation.
“We’ll be starting construction late fall, and it should be completed by spring time.”
He pointed to new planned landscaping initiatives at the Kalar Road and Garner Road intersection.
“That’s just phase one, and it will eventually continue its way all the way down Lundy’s Lane, right to Main Street.”
Jovanovic said as part of phase two, a parkette will be designed at the hydro canal that will host events and markets.
“Just a gathering place for locals, and also to depict the history of hydro generation, the history of the canal, the loyalists settlements that took place out in the west end of Niagara a century ago.”
He said “a lot of creative things” are planned along Lundy’s Lane, from the canal through to Montrose Road.
“That’s going to be called our garden and illumination district. During the summer, we’re really going to up the amount of landscaping and florals that are in that area — that will encompass that parkette, and in the winter that will be our main focus of our Winter Festival of Lights. Each year we’ve been growing that area. We’ve got more displays coming out this winter.”
Jovanovic said the goal is to make Lundy’s Lane the “epicentre of activities,” and to engage some of the surrounding neighbourhoods.
“We’re actually doing a treeplanting campaign as part of the streetscape master plan, and we’re trying to make Lundy’s Lane as pedestrian-friendly as we can considering the amount of vehicular traffic that it has. That’s a real challenge for us.”
He said Lundy’s Lane is the most critical east-west artery in the entire peninsula, and is benefitting from growth in the surrounding areas.
“The growth that you can see, the neighbourhoods, especially to the south of Lundy’s Lane, and now even to the south of McLeod Road, that’s all part of the growing west end, and we’re trying to really have a sense of arrival, purpose, and comfort for locals to engage the Lane.”
It’s getting people to understand we have 280-plus businesses out on Lundy’s Lane. We have every type of service available.”
David Jovanovic, project administrator for the Lundy’s Lane business improvement association