Committee endorses $129M facelift for public areas
A national design competition should be held for an overhauled public space at the intersection of Rideau Street, Colonel By Drive and Sussex Drive to complement a $129.1-million facelift to the ByWard Market, a committee decided Tuesday.
The finance and economic development committee endorsed the latest plan to improve the ByWard Market's public areas. So far, there's no funding to turn the vision into reality. The city will largely rely on money from other levels of government and private-sector investments.
The high-profile Rideau-Colonel By-Sussex intersection needs to be reconfigured since the southbound ramp from Rideau Street to Colonel By Drive divides the public space, which currently has a pedestrian underpass. The general idea is to make the area a well-designed public space while improving the pedestrian and cycling network around the intersection.
Before the design competition is launched in partnership with the National Capital Commission, the city would need to begin a traffic study in 2021 and send the results to city council's transportation committee. The traffic study and design competition would cost about $400,000. There is no cost identified to build a winning project produced by the design competition.
The public-realm plan unanimously approved by the committee calls for vast improvements in the Market, including wide pedestrian promenades, more trees and the creation of a central “destination building” where a municipal parking garage exists today.
The plan separates projects into priorities for the short term (up to two years), medium term (threeto-10 years) and the long term (11 years or more). The Rideau-Colonel By-Sussex transformation is viewed as a medium-term project.
Many of the deputations at the committee meeting criticized the current state of the Market.
Steve Ball, president of the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association, read feedback from one ByWard Market visitor who enjoyed a hotel, but lamented that it was in “a sad area.”
Ball said the city should set 2026 and the Market's 200th anniversary as the deadline for making big improvements to the top tourist destination.
Mayor Jim Watson agreed that the anniversary gives the city a goal to work toward.
While there have been numerous studies over the years on how to improve the Market, Watson said the latest one brings projects that are achievable because they can happen in increments.
Watson said the Market needs more local fresh-food vendors.
“It just can't be a place for restaurants and bars and shops. It has to go back to its roots,” Watson said.
The design plan drew skepticism from one councillor.
Coun. Carol Anne Meehan said the city must address social issues, such as panhandling, before talking about infrastructure upgrades in the Market.
Coun. Mathieu Fleury, who represents the Market area, said the city needs to be “hyper-focused” on issues of housing, addictions and mental health.
Fleury lauded the plan for attracting a buy-in from several stakeholders, including the surrounding residential community and business groups.
Council will be asked to approve the public-realm plan on Dec. 9.