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Plenty of talk, no cash - the river corridor
I quiet like the idea of city hall at the forks. Where to put it would be tricky, but it's one awesome idea if it would work!
Political support for an enhanced river corridor in London is taking on the same seasonal characteristics as the Thames itself.
For the idea of making improvements, a flood of votes.
For money to pay for those improvements, a trickle of support.
But river improvement will continue, city planners vowed Thursday in the wake of a city budget session that dammed up the flow of money for new or accelerated projects.
"It is not going to change what we were going to do. It will delay some projects," city planner Bruce Page said.
Council approved the Thames Valley Corridor plan in principle Jan. 10. But at a budget session Wednesday, politicians rejected the idea of spending $500,000 to kick-start four areas of the plan this year. That hardly bodes well for the millions more sought for enhancements in future years.
Even so, the request for funding and business plans to back it up will go to the city's investment and economic prosperity committee.
As that committee develops a strategy to improve London, several of the corridor ideas may fit in nicely with some bigger plans, Coun. Joni Baechler said.
"There are certain economic development strategies that might contain an element of the river system," she said.
For example, redevelopment of the South St. hospital lands along the south branch of the Thames close to downtown could include the kinds of boardwalks and lookouts envisioned in the corridor plan, Baechler said.
More importantly for a city with tight finances, those riverside enhancements could come from the private developers that council is hoping to take on the South St. development.
Several other projects could include riverside redevelopment, such as a new city hall at the forks, or some of the other downtown proposals, Baechler said.
"That is what we are trying to piece together. We might be able to do the river in pieces."
Meanwhile, existing projects for river enhancement and redevelopment will move steadily along, Baechler noted.
The funding request for the corridor plan "was an accelerated approach,'' she said. "The corridor will get done in a more methodical approach.''
The city has money in the budget for ongoing riverside improvements, such as extensions of pathways, attacking invasive plant species and redeveloping Harris Park, Page said.
City planners had requested $4.9 million over six years, including the $500,000 this year, for acceleration of those projects and for new ones, such as making the historic Springbank pumphouse ready for redevelopment into a restaurant, and adding lookouts, boardwalks and gazebos along the river.
Despite the failure to secure funding, political support of the corridor plan in principle is key to the river's future, Page said.
"The corridor plan gives us a very clear direction where we are going. There has been a lot of interest in the river, which is great," he said. "The corridor plan was received quite well by council. It just happens we are facing some economic challenges right now."
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Big river, big plans
There are several plans rolling along to help the Thames River.
1. Thames Valley Corridor Plan: long-term guide, with 77 recommendations to protect and improve area drained by the Thames River in London. Many improvements already on the go, but planners had hoped for $500,000 this year to accelerate projects.
2. The Thames River Clear Water Revival: a massive, watershed-long effort, involving all levels of government and several agencies, to fix what ails the river. Will focus on water quality and hopes to launch publicly this year.
3. Pollution prevention and control plan: City of London has asked Ontario Environment Ministry for help to battle overflows of sewage into the Thames River and its tributaries. Plan is in early stages, but definitely a go.
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Different streams
Several large-scale city proposals could include enhancements to the banks of the two tributaries and main branch of the Thames River in London.
1. South St. Hospital: The lands overlooking the south branch of the Thames could be redeveloped into any number of uses that planners and politicians hope revitalize the city's SoHo neighbourhood.
2. Downtown vision: Among the many ideas in a massive re-do of downtown are a new city hall at the forks of the Thames and an expansion of Museum London at the same location. The downtown vision also includes several standalone ideas for the forks, where the south and north branches of the Thames meet.
3. London Hydro lands: Only a twinkle in planners' eyes at the moment, a multimillion dollar vision to turn storage lands behind London Hydro into a mixed retail, residential, entertainment district using the adjacent river as the main attraction.
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