City launches campaign to revitalize Sparks Street

The City of Ottawa is launching a robust campaign to bring more people to Sparks Street, saying the time is right for the 50-year-old downtown pedestrian mall to once again realize its potential.

The historic street just south of Parliament Hillbecame pedestrian-focused in 1967, but its last major refresh was in 1989, according to KevinMcHale, the executive director of its business improvement area.

• Re-making Sparks: Ottawa's downtown pedestrian mall through the decades

McHalewas one of dozens of residents, planners and politicians who attended a public forum at Ottawa City Hall Saturday morning. It servedas the public launch of an initiative that's been gathering steam over the last few months and will continue to be worked on through much of 2018.

McHale said it's time to not only replace the interlocking stones that make up the physical street but also to reverse the overall decline of Sparks as a destination.

"I'm excited that, for the first time in many years, there's an actual interest and effort about seeing what the street can look like in the 21st century," said McHale, who also leads the mall authority basically the superintendent of the street.

He said there were 165 businesses on Sparks Street in 1994, compared to 65 now.

Good times and not-so-good times

"It's gone through some good times and some bad times," saidMayor Jim Watson, who likened Sparks to "a linear town square" that's five blocks long.

"I think it's now the time to put all hands on deck to see what we can do to help attract more people to come to the site, to get more businesses to open on Sparks Street, and help revitalize this important part of our history."

While the state of Sparks was "not great" about five years ago, Watson said suchrecent additions as upscale restaurant Riviera, Canadian pub chain Bier Markt and the Winners department store have helped.

So will the city's upcoming light rail line opening a block away, he added.

Still, the fact the federal government is the landlord for so much of the north side of the street is a challenge, Watsonsaid.

That's because the governmenttends to favour short-term leases, he said, whichoffers itflexibility to use those spaces itself.

More greenery, arts spaces

Dozens of people, most of whom identifiedthemselves as Ottawa residents, heardfrom planners and the Montreal-based consultants about the project Saturday morning.

They then sharedwhat they'd like to see, eitherat the microphone or on comment cards.

Everybody wants the same thing. They want an exciting street, they want people on it, they want businesses to thrive.- Coun. Catherine McKenney

Some of the more common themes expressed Saturday included adesire to greenwhat's seen as a drab concrete landscape, more space both inside and outside for the arts, and enough events to draw people there outside of work hours and major summer festivals.

There was also a respectful discussion about how to balanceSparks Street'sappeal to locals, tourists andbusinesses, along with a debate over what kind of access should be given to cyclists and other vehicles.

• From public art to parking spots, here are 8 ideas to improve Sparks Street
• Read a full recap of the meeting

"In the end everybody wants the same thing. They want an exciting street, they want people on it, they want businesses to thrive," said Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney, whose ward includes Sparks Street.

3 options later this year

Watson said he would like Sparks Street to be completely vehicle-free, with deliveries done via rolling dollies from trucks parked elsewhere.

McHale said while that would be the ideal case, it's not realistic right now because of how much construction has been happening on Sparks Street, along with the challenges presented by heritage buildings that weren't built with now-helpful features such as loading docks.

"We need to find a spot for [vehicles] to goand be clever about it," he said.

The campaign plans toputtogether three optionsnext month that will be presented to the public for more consultationsin the summer or early fall.

After that, the full Sparks Street plan would go to the city's finance and economic development committeeand then to council in early 2019.

The plans will focus on the street itself, as well as the area between buildings that the city manages not what's done in the buildings themselves.

Watson said that among the ideas that have already been floated, there's "low-hanging fruit" that can be implemented relatively quickly, such as getting more greenery onto Sparks.

McHalealsosaid the street will host more Winterlude events next month than it has inthe past, along with a higher number of pop-up public movie nights in the warmer months.

The stone-carving and living statue festivals will be back, he added, and there will be at least two weekends where local musicians will be showcased on Sparks Street in a partnership with the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition.