Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Task Force

[phil235]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

This shift was the result of depopulation of centretown, increases in land values, the shift of retail to the suburbs and the curtailment of car travel in downtown (increase of parking rates and reduction of available parking and encouragement of public transit use). This made most large format stores less profitable with rising rents.

When did Centretown depopulate or car travel downtown decrease?

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

This made most large format stores less profitable with rising rents.

This made large format stores, and even smaller ones, less profitable with our ass-backwards tax structure and stupid land-use policies.

[DTcrawler]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I don't think it is true that most New Yorkers do their regular shopping at bodegas. Like other people shopping at convenience stores, they are either looking for convenience or in a food desert where they have no close options. Manhattan certainly as a large number of chain supermarkets, so New Yorkers don't have an obvious aversion.

Little over-priced convenience stores and ethnic convenience stores are not a suitable replacement for full-service grocery stores and helps to reinforce poverty by making it more expensive for the poor to eat nutritious food.

Fair enough but in any case, Hintonburg Market has a pretty comprehensive selection and prices are comparable to Farm Boy for many items. It’d serve the needs of Hintonburg locals quite well if the Metro/Superstore/Farm Boy just into Westboro are inaccessible.

I’d definitely agree Chinatown and Little Italy could use their own stores but in the case of Chinatown I wonder about the availability of a retail unit large enough for a major chain. Most locals seem to head to Massine’s which is a short ride on the 11. As for Little Italy, it’s only a matter of time with all the homes being built in the south end of the neighbourhood.

[ponyboycurtis]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Bank and Elgin are closer to one another then Toronto rough-comparables (in terms of being parallel traditional main/urban street pairs) like Danforth/Gerrard, Yonge/University, University/Spadina, Queen/Dundas, or Dorchester/Sherbrooke.

The problem isn't the distance itself, it's the poor quality of the fabric between them, and the inattention to the east-west urban streets to connect them. Somerset helps link Elgin and Bank a little bit, but it also has some deader zones. Most of the east-west streets are either boring commercial/office fronts, boring non-active apartment building ground floors, or complete street-killers like the phone exchange or hydro substation.

Not much to be done about the latter two, but we can start working on some of those other problems, if we want.

It also doesn't help that generations ago we decided that naw, we don't need no stinkin' continuous street grid, and didn't project Somerset and Gladstone across the canal, which would likely have led to both of them having a much more urban main street character than what they ended up with.

But Somerset does go across the Canal and then it takes a little jog over to the University.

Many times when I have headed downtown to meet someone I will exit at UofO station and walk across that bridge to meet at the corner of Elgin.

[Lakeofthewood]

Originally Posted by ponyboycurtis

But Somerset does go across the Canal and then it takes a little jog over to the University.

Many times when I have headed downtown to meet someone I will exit at UofO station and walk across that bridge to meet at the corner of Elgin.

Yup yup, or if you're trying to take the LRT to get to the Glebe / Lansdowne area, the UOttawa stop is the same distance as Parliament, but a much nicer walk along the Canal than through downtown when you cross the Somerset bridge.

[lrt's friend]

You shouldn't need to walk a km or more to your destination.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by ponyboycurtis

But Somerset does go across the Canal and then it takes a little jog over to the University.

Somerset only goes across the canal as a pedestrian bridge, and only since a relatively few years ago.

If the Somersets had been connected in the same way that the Lauriers are, and as was proposed a very long time ago, the Somersets would have developed very differently, and likely along the lines of similar streets in Toronto or Montreal.

[DTcrawler]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

You shouldn't need to walk a km or more to your destination.

Nobody's forcing you, buses 6 and 7 go through the Glebe

[rocketphish]

Ottawa's night mayor is building a nightlife council
Will be 12-18 volunteers with experience in post-6 p.m. 'nightlife economy'

Gabrielle Huston · CBC News
Posted: Sep 24, 2024 7:57 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour ago

The City of Ottawa and its Nightlife Commissioner Mathieu Grondin are building a team as part of their goal to improve Ottawa's post-6 p.m. "nightlife economy" and change the capital's image.

Online public applications are now open for the new volunteer nightlife council, which will meet at least four times each year to advise the commissioner on questions such as where Ottawa could cut red tape, how nightlife could be more safe and what needs aren't being met.

Grondin, who was hired in June from a role promoting Montreal's nightlife, said its six to 12 public members could be business owners, people who work in nightlife jobs, event promoters, members of non-governmental organizations and even people who just like to go out.

First and foremost, "You've got to love nightlife," he said, "and if you have a particular community you're a part of, that you want to be the voice of, that's a good sign maybe you should apply."

There will also be six seats set aside for economic and cultural organizations.

Grondin emphasized the role will be a two-way street: members can "amplify" the work of the nightlife office and come back with the feedback coming from their communities. It won't be able to direct city staff or make binding decisions for the city.

Applications to sit on the council must be submitted by Oct. 11. The final list of council members will be announced at the end of October or beginning of November, according to Grondin.

The development of this council was approved last year as part of a nightlife action plan to develop and promote "more vibrant, diverse, inclusive, viable, safe, and well-managed nightlife" across the sprawling city between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Besides creating the commissioner and council, the plan calls for a nightlife safety plan, for more accessible, do-it-yourself, free and all-ages events and to try to get a new entertainment space for 1,500 to 2,000 people.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...ncil-1.7331854

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

Nobody's forcing you, buses 6 and 7 go through the Glebe

Irregularly and slowly, yes.

[DTcrawler]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Irregularly and slowly, yes.

My point is you don’t need to walk a km or more if you deem that too much. But yes, the 6 and 7 need major improvements but I suspect the most obvious one, such as the removal of street parking in the Glebe in favour of bus lanes, would ruffle their feathers.

[huntclub]

One thing ottawa needs is concerts targeted for people under the age of 30. Almost every show we get here that comes to the CTC etc is someone who was popular 30 years ago. No popular or current big artist comes to Ottawa, especially with our lack of smaller venues. If we built some theatres or 2,000-3,500 venues 2/3 of them around downtown and brought in more concerts that attracts younger audiences the nightlife and bars will be more packed on regular basis. I drive to Montreal or toronto 10-15 times a year just for concerts..Ottawa has to do something.

[DTcrawler]

Originally Posted by huntclub

One thing ottawa needs is concerts targeted for people under the age of 30. Almost every show we get here that comes to the CTC etc is someone who was popular 30 years ago. No popular or current big artist comes to Ottawa, especially with our lack of smaller venues. If we built some theatres or 2,000-3,500 venues 2/3 of them around downtown and brought in more concerts that attracts younger audiences the nightlife and bars will be more packed on regular basis. I drive to Montreal or toronto 10-15 times a year just for concerts..Ottawa has to do something.

Wouldn't current popular/big artists need a CTC-sized venue anyways? Examples like Taylor Swift or Sabrina Carpenter are playing at Rogers Centre and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, respectively. I suspect the big artists skipping Ottawa phenomenon has more to do with Ottawa's proximity to Toronto/Montreal than it does with venue options. That being said I do think the Sens building a 16-18K arena at Lebreton may help move the needle enough for some big acts to make a stop here. But in general, big acts tend to do Toronto, Montreal and maybe Vancouver as part of their Canadian tour and that's it. Similar-sized cities to Ottawa like Edmonton also frequently get skipped despite having a modern, centrally located arena.

I do fully agree with you though about the need for more mid-sized venues in general. The NCC announced that the former Chapter's at Rideau/Sussex is being converted to one. Mid-sized venues will help draw acts that aren't big enough for the CTC but are still popular and current. NLE Choppa playing at the Bronson Centre recently is one example.

Thinking back though, Ottawa used to draw a lot of big names in their prime to the CTC in the early 2010's. I know Justin Bieber, Drake, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, The Black Keys, etc are all names off the top of my head that stopped by here between 2012-2014ish. We're still pretty consistent with country acts, with mega-star Morgan Wallen playing here last fall, which is probably due to all the country fans from the Valley.

[ponyboycurtis]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Somerset only goes across the canal as a pedestrian bridge, and only since a relatively few years ago.

If the Somersets had been connected in the same way that the Lauriers are, and as was proposed a very long time ago, the Somersets would have developed very differently, and likely along the lines of similar streets in Toronto or Montreal.

I gotcha. As far as an animated east/west connector Somerset stops kind of where Laurier picks up. Due to geography and other factors Ottawas central areas are just fragmented like that I guess.

[OTSkyline]

I too am sad that many of the big acts aren't stopping in Ottawa like they used to, but I'm not sure it's Ottawa or the CTC's fault per se.

I think it's more of the acts themselves who used to do a real "world tour" and stop in 200 cities and have tickets for sale in the $50-$200/each. Now they rather do a 30-city, 50 date world tour and sell tickets in the $500 range. Same $$, a lot less effort.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

I too am sad that many of the big acts aren't stopping in Ottawa like they used to, but I'm not sure it's Ottawa or the CTC's fault per se.

I think it's more of the acts themselves who used to do a real "world tour" and stop in 200 cities and have tickets for sale in the $50-$200/each. Now they rather do a 30-city, 50 date world tour and sell tickets in the $500 range. Same $$, a lot less effort.

There also seem to be fewer acts who can still fill arenas. Even in Toronto it is a lot of nostalgia boomer acts. You basically as have one gigastar and then the rest.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by huntclub

One thing ottawa needs is concerts targeted for people under the age of 30. Almost every show we get here that comes to the CTC etc is someone who was popular 30 years ago. No popular or current big artist comes to Ottawa, especially with our lack of smaller venues.

As an honourary 30-something, I keep hearing about acts I would like to have seen after the fact. Not on the right email lists or something.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by acottawa

There also seem to be fewer acts who can still fill arenas. Even in Toronto it is a lot of nostalgia boomer acts. You basically as have one gigastar and then the rest.

True, it seems to be a few mega stars now and then all the rest. Some of the older acts like the Black Keys have actually cancelled tours because they weren't selling enough.

We did get Noah Kahan this year, and he is about as big as it gets amongst the younguns.