Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Initiatives

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

I don't remember saying take transit off Bank Street, though.

Pro-tip, and maybe I shouldn't share too widely...

Just park on Clegg, Herridge, or McGillavray or Muchmor, or etc. and have yourself a lovely stroll across the Clegg Bridge, through a park, and directly to Lansdowne in less than 15 minutes. There's ALWAYS a spot, no parking restriction signage, and it's much faster to get in and out, whether it's North, South or East.

I've had parking passes at Lansdowne in the garage for events, and nothing could make me even attempt to use the pass.

Only for a Whole Foods trip randomly to pick up a Fougasse do I park in the garage.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by phil235

This isn't exactly revolutionary - it's a technique that has been successful all over the world. And the answer to your questions is yes. It will provide new public space that can be used by people in the neighbourhood and people visiting the neighbourhood.

Successful where?

I have travelled pretty extensively and I don’t recall seeing cheap plywood street furniture on side street being a common thing. This looks like something that would be installed as part of an event, not something that would be expected to drive street activity itself.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Successful where?

I have travelled pretty extensively and I don’t recall seeing cheap plywood street furniture on side street being a common thing. This looks like something that would be installed as part of an event, not something that would be expected to drive street activity itself.

I was referring to street seating generally, not the quality of this particular seating (which looks perfectly fine to me).

New York literally has folding chairs on many of its closed streets, so I don't think that this falls particularly short. Montreal has wooden benches in various improvised public spaces. Barcelona sticks benches in its streets. Lots of examples of very basic furniture used to create temporary public spaces.

It doesn't seem to me that the fact that these are on side streets adjacent to the main street is a fatal flaw, but I guess we'll see. The one on Frank has been busy whenever I've been by.

[rocketphish]

Ottawa Board of Trade warns of worsening downtown economy as federal cuts loom

By Ted Raymond, CTV News
Updated: July 23, 2025 at 2:42PM EDT | Published: July 23, 2025 at 8:26AM EDT

The CEO of the Ottawa Board of Trade is warning that the downtown core of the nation’s capital is at even greater risk with word of significant cuts to federal departments.

Sueling Ching authored an op-ed in the Globe and Mail this week, saying the federal government has a responsibility to show leadership and transparency about its plans for workers and federal properties that occupy the heart of Ottawa.

“Let us be clear: this is not a call to drag public servants back to the office or to cling to aging buildings for sentiment’s sake. It is a call for leadership, transparency and accountability from the federal government to the city it depends on, and to the capital that belongs to every Canadian,” Ching wrote in the Globe and Mail.

Finance Minister François Philippe Champagne sent letters to fellow cabinet ministers on July 7 stating that they must present plans to find 15 per cent in day-to-day operational savings in their respective departments over the next three years. Crown corporations such as the National Capital Commission, the CBC, and Via Rail have also been asked to find similar savings.

Speaking on CTV Morning Live on Wednesday, Ching said the federal government is an anchor employer in the capital, with more than 150,000 federal workers calling the National Capital Region home.

“The main economy in Ottawa has been the federal public service and we have benefited largely from that for a long time,” she said. “When the pandemic hit five years ago and we went to work from home, that really disproportionately impacted our downtown core. It impacted many of the large city downtown cores but particularly us because of the federal government’s return to office strategy.”


<more>

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/ot...g-downtown-economy-as-federal-cuts-loom/

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by phil235

I was referring to street seating generally, not the quality of this particular seating (which looks perfectly fine to me).

New York literally has folding chairs on many of its closed streets, so I don't think that this falls particularly short. Montreal has wooden benches in various improvised public spaces. Barcelona sticks benches in its streets. Lots of examples of very basic furniture used to create temporary public spaces.

It doesn't seem to me that the fact that these are on side streets adjacent to the main street is a fatal flaw, but I guess we'll see. The one on Frank has been busy whenever I've been by.

I haven't been to New York for a decade, but if I understand correctly the closed streets is a specific event that happens once per summer per borough, so people have a one-off incentive to partake (hence my earlier reference to other cities using this sort of setup as "part of an event.")

Barcelona is spending $44M on its Green Axes project, so I would be quite surprised if the street furniture and related amenities looked like Ottawa's.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I haven't been to New York for a decade, but if I understand correctly the closed streets is a specific event that happens once per summer per borough, so people have a one-off incentive to partake (hence my earlier reference to other cities using this sort of setup as "part of an event.")

Barcelona is spending $44M on its Green Axes project, so I would be quite surprised if the street furniture and related amenities looked like Ottawa's.

No, the ones that I'm talking about a permanent, and they are all over New York. Times Square is the most well-known, but there are smaller ones throughout Manhattan - mostly some paint on the street and red folding chairs.

Not specifically a road closure, but I was at the public space on Bank downtown this week. They put out a bunch of tables and chairs and there were people coming constantly to sit down. Unfortunately the bar that is renting the space right now has a no outside food rule, so they turned most of the people away. It was pretty clear that the demand for these public spaces is there, even where the execution is not.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by phil235

No, the ones that I'm talking about a permanent, and they are all over New York. Times Square is the most well-known, but there are smaller ones throughout Manhattan - mostly some paint on the street and red folding chairs.

Not specifically a road closure, but I was at the public space on Bank downtown this week. They put out a bunch of tables and chairs and there were people coming constantly to sit down. Unfortunately the bar that is renting the space right now has a no outside food rule, so they turned most of the people away. It was pretty clear that the demand for these public spaces is there, even where the execution is not.

This kind of ad-hoc closure is great in my opinion. The need to have everything perfect and make a huge event out of it is one of our failings in Canada IMHO.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by YOWetal

This kind of ad-hoc closure is great in my opinion. The need to have everything perfect and make a huge event out of it is one of our failings in Canada IMHO.

100% agree. We always underestimate peoples' ability to adapt to small changes.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

Pro-tip, and maybe I shouldn't share too widely...

I won't tell anyone, and also I don't need parking tips.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by phil235

It doesn't seem to me that the fact that these are on side streets adjacent to the main street is a fatal flaw, but I guess we'll see. The one on Frank has been busy whenever I've been by.

I've walked past a few times lately, and other than the first day or two, there's always been people using these things as intended. (For the first few days, the shade hadn't been installed, and they were empty.)

[rocketphish]

Centretown BIA plans to expand again, encompassing 300 additional businesses

Marissa Galko, OBJ
August 13, 2025

As part of its revitalization plan, the Centretown BIA could see its boundaries expand to include 300 businesses by the new year.

SabriNa Lemay, executive director of the Centretown BIA, told OBJ that the BIA started discussing expansion plans in 2020, when a greater need for its services became apparent.

“When the pandemic (and) the (Freedom Convoy) occupation took place, we recognized there were a lot of members that didn’t get the services that they needed,” she said. “We saw a missing link. We were supporting non-members in our area (because) they are a part of the Centretown (community.) They didn’t get all the perks and benefits that members normally would get but we were still supporting them in terms of visibility to get them back on their feet.”

With its new boundaries, the BIA would continue to help businesses in the community, helping them to better benefit from things such as street beautification and marketing.

The proposed boundaries, effective Jan. 1, would expand west to include Bronson Avenue and east stopping at Elgin Street. The north and south boundaries would remain unchanged, spanning from Queen Street to Catherine Street and Hwy. 417.

According to a press release from the BIA, the proposed expansion “reflects a shared vision for a more vibrant, inclusive, and prosperous Centretown, and positions the BIA to better advocate for and support local economic growth and neighbourhood revitalization.”

“As chair of the Centretown BIA and a proud business owner in our community, I’m thrilled about the opportunity this boundary expansion brings,” Michael Wallack, board chair of the Centretown BIA, said in the release. “This growth will unite more of our neighbourhood’s diverse businesses under one collective voice, strengthening our ability to advocate, promote, and beautify our entire area.”

Lemay said she hopes the inclusion of more businesses will help drive more traffic to the area.

“As soon as you expand, you have more opportunities for businesses to join your board. The vision of the BIA, its creativity and tourism, only gets better for the area as a whole,” Lemay said, adding that she hopes that, with the expansion, the area will become more of a destination.

“These other businesses, residents (and) property owners are already so much a part of the vibrancy of this area. We’re better together,” she said.

The expansion is one step in the BIA’s revitalization plan, which also includes street beautification, promotion and advocacy.

The BIA recently created Uncommon, an events space at Snider Plaza, and Street Seats, event spaces on Florence, McLaren and Frank streets, which Lemay said will be key to the revitalization plans of Centretown and the downtown core in general.

“I think it means evolution and bringing life back into Centretown. It’s change. It’s evolution. It’s instilling hope, which I think is something that our businesses need more than anything,” she told OBJ in June.

The Ottawa Board of Trade launched a downtown revitalization plan in May 2024, with a 60-step plan including creating more jobs, adding more residents and establishing a business incubator district.

Lemay said the Centretown BIA is working in tandem with OBOT’s plan for the greater downtown area.

“It is all about revitalizing our downtown and bringing tourism down here. If nobody’s marketing the area, it’s kind of a ghost zone and there’s no beautification or public realm. Now we have the ability to work with our community associations and service those areas better,” she said.

This won’t be the first time that the BIA has undergone a major change. In 2023, it changed its name from Bank Street BIA to Centretown BIA and expanded to include businesses on Somerset Street, Gladstone Avenue, Flora Street, Laurier Avenue, Albert Street, Arlington Avenue, Catherine Street, Kent Street and O’Connor Street.

Earlier this year, nearby Sparks Street BIA underwent a similar rebranding, changing its name to Downtown BIA and expanding its footprint west to Bay Street, south to Laurier Avenue West, east to Metcalfe Street, and along the west side of Elgin Street north of Slater Street.

https://obj.ca/centretown-bia-expands-again-300-additional-businesses/

[acottawa]

Provincial public servants are going back to the office 5 days.

I suspect Feds are not far behind.

https://globalnews.ca/news/11334640/ontario-civil-servants-back-office/

[Uhuniau]

Some random observations:

- The Sparks Street "hipster animals" are a hit. Constantly seeing and hearing people talking about them as they pass, taking selfies, etc. Fun art is fun.

https://ottawacitizen.com/life/sparks-street-hipster-animals


- There has been some kind of renovations going on at 55 Metcalfe (at Queen) since forever? It seems to mostly done, to the point the little mini-plaza there is opened up again, including the sculpture of the hunter stalking a deer. This art is also super-popular with tourists and others, and again with the selfies, family shots, etc. Fun art is fun.


- Across the street, the renovated plaza is finally getting a little love, and with the lack of rain, it's been a popular spot for lunchers and musical entertainments. Cover bands can draw a crowd. People like to have fun. I think there was also some busker action here recently. Crazy thing: when you use these spaces "as intended", people show up?

[urbanforest]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Some random observations:

- The Sparks Street "hipster animals" are a hit. Constantly seeing and hearing people talking about them as they pass, taking selfies, etc. Fun art is fun.

https://ottawacitizen.com/life/sparks-street-hipster-animals

I'm happy to learn that a real human created that animal artwork. Walking by, it immediately gave me uncanny AI-generated vibes.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by urbanforest

I'm happy to learn that a real human created that animal artwork. Walking by, it immediately gave me uncanny AI-generated vibes.

The article doesn't specify exactly how graphic designer Jamie Lawson created the murals. She may indeed have used AI to create the animals in the poses she uploaded, then added the colour afterwards. Who knows?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Some random observations:

- Across the street, the renovated plaza is finally getting a little love, and with the lack of rain, it's been a popular spot for lunchers and musical entertainments. Cover bands can draw a crowd. People like to have fun. I think there was also some busker action here recently. Crazy thing: when you use these spaces "as intended", people show up?

There's a serious lack of outdoor spaces and trees within the CBD. Glad to see the WEP plaza is reopened and being used.

[rocketphish]

Board of trade unveils new website to track progress on downtown action plan

Marissa Galko, OBJ
August 20, 2025

A new online portal was unveiled today that will track the progress of Ottawa’s downtown revitalization plan and allow for better transparency, the head of the Ottawa Board of Trade says.

In May 2024, the board of trade launched its Downtown Ottawa Action Agenda, which detailed 60 steps needed to bring new life to the city’s downtown core by 2034. The plan described four main outcomes needed to make the downtown desirable: creating “affordable, walking, amenity-rich communities;” investing in infrastructure, public realm and placemaking; increasing employment and diversifying the economy; and making the area inclusive by ensuring safety.

Board of trade president and CEO Sueling Ching told OBJ last month that the new online tracking system will create transparency.

“We agreed to continue to work with community partners in order to shepherd the plan. Part of the strategy for us is to build confidence in the downtown, attract visitors, residents and entrepreneurs to the downtown. We have to make sure that we’re providing a good and accurate sense of what’s going on,” she said.

“We are tracking the 60-plus steps in the plan, looking for opportunities to synergize those mandates and we’re getting ready to report back on that through the online portal on the website.”

The portal will track the progress of the agenda’s four main outcomes, Ching said, as well as poll residents about the downtown and allow them to share good news stories.

<more>

https://obj.ca/board-of-trade-new-website-track-progress-downtown-plan/

[rocketphish]

New Metcalfe Plaza touted as game-changer for Ottawa’s downtown core

Marissa Galko, OBJ
August 22, 2025



In what Ottawa nightlife commissioner Mathieu Grondin hopes will be one of his office’s legacy projects, a new outdoor events space at Metcalfe Plaza has opened, offering free shows and social activities during a six-week pilot.

In July, Downtown BIA announced its plans to transform an empty lot at 151 Metcalfe St. near Gloucester Street into a “vibrant cultural destination.” Running from Aug. 14 to Sept. 20, the six-week pilot is a collaboration with Montreal-based event organization company Aire commune and Ottawa-based event curator Amashowza.

Open Thursdays through Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., the “open-air social hub” will feature a co-working space during the day with seating, tables and electricity. In the evenings, the space will feature music from local DJs, drag artists, pilates classes and an art market.

“This joint project is a strategic investment into building community, cultural and commercial vibrancy — our key priorities as we work to revitalize downtown Ottawa,” said Kevin McHale, executive director of Downtown BIA, said in a news release. “By reimagining underused spaces like 151 Metcalfe, we’re creating new cultural assets and more reasons for people to come downtown, support local businesses, and discover local artists.”

Aire commune has been involved in the development and execution of placemaking urban spaces in Montreal, Calgary and, more recently, along Bank Street in Ottawa with the Street Seats project.

“We’re excited to bring Aire commune’s unique brand of urban placemaking to Ottawa. After launching successful projects in other cities, we know how meaningful these spaces are for communities to gather, connect, and celebrate local culture,” Aire commune co-founder Emilie Wake said in the release.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe shared in a LinkedIn post last week that he had taken a tour of Metcalfe Plaza.

“I’m excited for the upcoming opening of Metcalfe Plaza, a vibrant new outdoor venue in downtown Ottawa created through a collaboration between Montréal’s Aire commune and Ottawa’s Amashowza, presented by the Downtown BIA. We toured the space during construction, and it’s great to see it taking shape,” Sutcliffe said in the post.

The City of Ottawa launched its Nightlife Economy Action Plan in 2023. One of the recommendations in the plan is to “facilitate, with partners, new and diverse cultural and placemaking activities,” including supporting accessible pop-up events.

Nightlife commissioner Grondin said the Metcalfe Plaza project will help the city’s nightlife initiatives.

“This is exactly the kind of partnership we want to see as we build a more vibrant nightlife economy for Ottawa. Projects like this show how creative placemaking and diverse programming can help strengthen Ottawa’s nightlife sector and bring dynamic energy to the downtown core,” Grondin said in the BIA’s release.

In a post on LinkedIn, Grondin said Metcalfe Plaza has “all the ingredients to be a game-changer for the vibrancy of downtown’s nightlife.”

“Thanks to Kevin McHale and Court Curry’s trust, we made it happen and I hope this will become the first legacy project for Ottawa’s Nightlife Office,” he said in the post. “Placemaking is not just about colorful urban furniture. It’s about programming and animating underused spaces to bring people back together. Metcalfe Plaza’s events are free to attend, something Ottawa needs more of!”

Another similar placemaking events space, Uncommon, opened at Snider Plaza on Bank Street in June. SabriNa Lemay, executive director of Centretown BIA, told OBJ at that time that the space was key to the city’s downtown revitalization project.

“I heard this at the City Building Summit. ‘If the core of an apple rots, the entire apple does.’ Our core, our downtown, needs to be thriving … If our core is thriving, then (there is) more tourism. People want to be in our city,” she said in June.

https://obj.ca/new-metcalfe-plaza-game-changer-for-ottawas-downtown-core/

[OTSkyline]

Visited this a week or so ago and it seems to be a massive hit. It's well built, drinks are reasonably priced, and there's a lot of activation (from latin nights, house music, pilates, etc).

A collaboration between the Night Mayor and a company from Montreal so.. that's encouraging.

Really great to see this pop-up. It better come back next summer as it opened very late this year.

[zzptichka]

That gigantic blank wall needs a mural.