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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDowntown Advisory - 2003-04-10 DOWNTOWN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES APRIL 10, 2003 CITY OF KITCHENER The Kitchener Downtown Advisory Committee met this date, commencing at 4:07 p.m., chaired by Councillor John Smola, with the following members present: Denis Pellerin, Anita Petsche-Good, Mark Stranz, Cynthia Ramon-Cano, Sam Head, Nathan Hallman, Chris Farley, Doug Hoch, Sally Gunz Staff: Catherine Heal, Frank Pizzuto Others: Trudi Bunting, Jason Roberts, Martin DeGroot 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA- April 10, 2003 It was suggested that the Mayfair Hotel be added as an agenda item. On motion by M. Schreiter it was moved: "That the agenda for the April 10, 2003 meeting be accepted." 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - March 13, 2003 A correction to item number 5 to read: "Resolution from March 13, 2003 (Research) Follow-up", as opposed to 2002. On motion by J. Euler it was moved: "That the minutes from the March 13, 2003 meeting be accepted with the above mentioned correction/clarification." 3. PEDESTRIAN AND EMPLOYEE PERCEPTION AND MOVEMENT IN WATERLOO REGION'S FIVE CORE AREAS - Trudi Bunting & Jason Roberts Trudi Bunting and Jason Roberts gave a very informative presentation, please see the attached. Discussions ensued following the presentation, the following are comments and/or questions from Committee members: M. Schreiter agreed that marketing efforts should be focused on emphasizing Kitchener's unique characteristics and not be aimed at competing with the suburban environment. Moreover, downtown residents are the main group of downtown shoppers. The KDBA will start to strengthen promotion to downtown residents, e.g., by expanding the discount card to downtown residents. T. Bunting explained that mid-sized cities are generally cities that have a population of up to 75,000, but the real parameter is not population size. Rather, it is the characteristics of the functionality of the city that determine whether a city is a mid-sized city. The Region's Smart Growth is intended to stop the outward movement of urban sprawl and the series of problems that are associated with urban sprawl. In addition to policies such as Smart Growth, T. Bunting also pointed out the importance of incentives to encourage urban developments. In response to the question of why people who drive to the downtown find the downtown environment less pleasant than do those who frequently walk downtown, T. Bunting felt that people like to see an environment to which they are accustomed. The downtown is very different than the suburb. Suburbanites, who tend to drive to and by downtown and are accustomed to more green space and newer construction, might find the downtown environment less attractive to them. Therefore, it was suggested that marketing efforts be designed to introduce the downtown urban features to the suburban population. In response to a question about successful downtown, T. Bunting explained that the results of a recent electronic survey of cities in North America show that about 10% of all the mid-sized cities in North America are successful. Examples of successful downtowns are Kingston, Victoria and Halifax. It is also very interesting that the income levels in the successful downtowns are higher than those in the rest of the respective cities. The results of the pedestrian survey for weekdays and weekends are similar. In the discussion, it was pointed that the attitudes of downtown employees towards the downtown partly depend on the amount of information and orientation that have been provided to them. 4. LIVE/WORK ARTISTS IN DOWNTOWN - Martin DeGroot M. DeGroot explained that a live/work space is an accommodation that is designed for its residents to live and work in it. Live/work space is conducive to two types of professions - artists, especially visual artists, as well as people who primarily work on the computer. The local arts and cultural community started to explore the idea as a recommendation of the Arts and Cultural Plan. Currently, two organizations are actively investigating the idea - the Globe Studio and Waterloo Region Arts Council. A series of three public consultation meetings have been held. A web site and a logo have been established. The next step is to conduct a survey to verify the demand for live/work space. Successful examples of live/work spaces can be found in Toronto and Seattle. Different professions have different needs. Live/work spaces do pose some additional construction challenges. However, some private developers have proved that the concept can provide good investment return. From an economic development perspective, live/work spaces tend to create a series of spin-off effects in the area where it is located because of the presence of creative people. In some cases, live/work spaces provide an opportunity for people who live in them to build equity. Both arts organizations and private developers have developed live/work spaces. They appeal to developers who have an interest in accomplishing more diverse objectives in addition to creating a return to their investment. M. DeGroot pointed out that the arts and cultural has contributed to the positive evolution of the downtown. Therefore, the community should continue to invest in it. The Forsyth building as well as the Governor House and Gaol had both been candidates for live/work spaces in the last several years. A group is working on rekindling the interests in the concept. With the community's support, the concept is feasible. DAC members show their support for the concept and agree that it should be further explored. RESOLUTION FROM MARCH 13, 2003 (RESEARCH) FOLLOW-UP This item was discussed at the last meeting but was not finalized. Co-chair S. Gunz put forward a motion in the minutes for the previous meeting. This discussion started with the question of how the development of the Centre Block would complement other developments in the downtown to meet the demand. G. Woolner suggested that an inventory of current housing stock in the downtown area by taken. This inventory could be used to understand how to encourage a healthy turnover of downtown houses. T. Bunting pointed out that a study was conducted in 1999 to identify 4 or 5 market segments that were interested in living downtown. There is also a new research project being done to understand the demographics of the population in the new residential developments downtown. T. Bunting also pointed out that there is a tendency for the population to decrease in downtown areas while the number of household raises. In other words, there are more, smaller households in downtown areas than before. G. Woolner and F. Pizzuto will develop a brief outline of a research idea and present it to DAC prior to submitting it to CURA. KDBA UP-DATE - Marty Schreiter · the Kitchener Downtown Community Collaborative approved its governance model. The Working Centre has been appointed as the host organization of the Job Caf~ project. The project team is seeking matching dollars and funding. · the KDBA is investigating on expanding its discount card program to downtown residents. DOWNTOWN UP-DATE · the Steering Committee for the Centre block is exploring new development ideas and the feasibility of library. The Steering Committee reports to Council monthly. It was pointed out that people want to see physical change in the block. DAC members expressed an interest in providing development ideas for the Centre Block based on their experience in developing the downtown. It was determined that DAC will set up a special meeting to put together development suggestions for the Centre Block, referencing the results of previous consultation meetings on the Centre Block and taking into consideration the current situation. The special meeting is set for April 22, Tuesday, 4:00 p.m. with the location to be advised at a later date. · an event will be held in May to provide information to the public about the downtown. The objectives are to provide an update on new developments, provide information on various operational issues and introduce downtown- related staff members. · staff is investigating a new financial incentive aimed at encouraging upgrades of existing buildings in the downtown. · two public consultation meetings have been held regarding the reconstruction of Market Lane. Representatives will soon be meeting with individual property owners to gather property specific input. EDAC UP-DATE- Joan Euler J. Euler had no report at this time. SAFE & HEALTHY COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE UP-DATE - Doug Hoch The Safe and Healthy Committee passed a resolution to support the funding application for $20,000 for the Job Caf~ Program. Kevin Chaok is the new Superintendent for Division One. 10. ARTS & CULTURE COMMITTEE UP-DATE - Denis Pellerin The Arts & Culture Committee received the draft of the mixed corridor use report and is reviewing it. A sub-committee is working on the initiative to provide input on the naming of new developments. The Arts & Culture Committee will be meeting with CDC to explore partnering opportunities. CDC is Waterloo's culture group and is searching for new members. 11. NEW BUSINESS/AGENDA ITEMS · M. Stranz reported that LACAC is looking into designating the Mayfair building. 156 -158 King St W and the Mayfair have the same facade. The former is designated and the latter is not. Therefore, it makes sense to designate the Mayfair Hotel as well. · The staff of the Children's Museum is moving into the newly renovated building. There is still much work to be done before the opening in September. · This year's Civic Square Chess Program will officially start on May 1. The K- W Chess Club is hosting the Ontario Youth Chess Championship on April 18- 19. 130 youths aged 8 to 18and their parents will be attending the event at City Hall. · There are two upcoming meetings on school closure - April 16 and April 28, both located at the School Board office on Ardelt Ave. S. Gunz encouraged people to attend these meetings to show their support for the delegations who will be speaking in support of keeping KDI. April 28 is the critical date because that is when the vote will take place. People are also encouraged to contact their trustees. 12. ADJOURNMENT On motion, the meeting adjourned at 6:14 p.m. LIST OF ATTACHMENTS: 1. Pedestrian Movement Downtown (Applied Research Towards Core Area Revitalization) Kitchener edestrian Presentat.