Keeping Sparks Street pedestrian-only, adding green spaces and holding special events are among the city of Ottawa’s focuses for the update to the pedestrian mall, the city announced Thursday.
At an event held at 79 Sparks Street, where the city has set up an information storefront, staff presented what they call a “refined vision and strategic design directions to guide future improvements.”
Mayor Jim Watson was on hand at the announcement and he spoke to the importance of a project like this, especially in the context of the new LRT system.
“There are two LRT stations that basically pour into Sparks Street,” said Watson. “That’s going to bring in an awful lot more people down here to visit and to shop and to eat and I think that’s something that’s been missing in the past.”
Over the past several months, the city says staff have been working on the plan for the mall using the storefront space to engage pedestrians and offer project information to the public.
Using the information they’ve gained from the study, the city has come up with what it believes are key strategic focuses for the revitalization of Sparks Street:
- Mobility and access: Sparks Street will remain pedestrian only from Elgin Street to Lyon Street based on feedback from the public.
- Greenscape: Approximately 50 new trees, planters, green spaces and perennial gardens will be added.
- Programming and activation: Special events, artistic installations and public activations will be built.
- Adjacent property alignments: Improvements will be coordinated and integrated with ongoing planned renewals of properties along the pedestrian mall.
- Ground floor business alignments: Businesses will be encouraged to coordinate and refine their ground floor contributions to support the street’s role and vision.
- Interpretation: The street will be enhanced by integrating elements that highlight its history and cultural context.
Sparks Street has been a mainstay in the nation’s capital since it was first opened as a pedestrian mall for Canada’s centennial in 1967 and has been integral to the downtown visage for even longer.
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While this project will focus on modernizing and upgrading the street, the importance of the heritage of the area is also an important aspect, says city project lead David Atkinson.
“We recognize that the heritage value of the street is a very important part that we have to conserve,” said Atkinson. “As far as the streetscape design goes, there are a few opportunities that we found and took in the design to frame some of the key spots.
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“Where we plant trees to frame up certain aspects, where we place some of the seating so it’s all oriented towards some of the beautiful heritage views. It kind of reveals that aspect to people where otherwise they might just walk by it.”
Funding for the project still needs to be negotiated. According to Watson, decisions on the design will make their way through the NCC, city council and the BIA in the fall.
According to the city, construction on the updated Sparks Street will begin in 2022 at the earliest.
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