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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDowntown Advisory - 2003-10-09 DOWNTOWN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES October 09, 2003 City of Kitchener The Kitchener Downtown Advisory Committee met this date, commencing at 4:10 p.m., chaired by Sally Gunz, with the following members present: Councillor J. Smola, D. Hoch, A. Petsche-Good, Cst. J. Davis, G. Woolner, N. Hallman, D. Pellerin and M. Stranz. Staff: G. Richardson and M. Schurter. 1. Approval of Agenda - October 09, 2003 On motion by G. Woolner, it was moved that the agenda for the October 09, 2003 meeting be accepted. Carried. Approval of Minutes - June 12, 2003 On motion by A. Petsche-Good, it was moved that the minutes of the June 12, 2003 meeting be accepted. Carried. Downtown Wellness Centre - M. Schurter M. Schurter informed the committee that S. Adams will be the City Staff lead on this project. She has already had several meetings with the Neighbourhood Associations, Victoria School Seniors and the Waterloo Catholic School Board. S. Adams is working with Walter Fedy the architect regarding the design and layout. The first floor will be designated for senior groups and the second floor will be available to the neighbourhood associations. The city has a 2.5M capital expenditure for this project and the target opening will be in the summer 2005. One area that is being looked at is removing one of the buildings, which will create more parking spaces. The area will provide additional 250 spaces, which will be used at different times of the day. A concern was raised regarding the youth using the gym late at night causing unpleasant noise for the nearby residents. The city is currently leasing Victoria School centre from KHI. S. Gunz commented that Victoria school originally was design and built with the intention to be used as an elementary school. D. Hoch informed everyone that he is the (Mount Hope) representative on the Downtown Wellness Centre committee. However, the name has changed from Downtown Wellness Centre to Downtown Community Centre. He also mentioned that there are seven neighbourhood associations involved and several of them are working to raise $300,000.00. 4. Downtown Strategic Plan - G. Richardson G. Richardson commented that in 2002 Council approved four districts in the downtown; namely the Warehouse District, Civic District, Market District and City Centre District. A small team of city staff and other business citizens was developed to study details of land use and planning the layout of the areas. Compass Kitchener was formed for public feedback. People are now saying, "enough talking; time to start implementing". The team will have a draft copy of the initial framework of the plan available for viewing at the next meeting in November or December. Discussions are continuing with regard to the university sector seriously considering relocating to the downtown. M. Schurter will give the committee an update in November. The Gaukle Axis Project - the demolition of all the buildings at the foot of Gaukle Street is now complete. Staff are initiating the design stage that will create a new entrance feature into Victoria Park, with construction starting next spring. 5. DAC Role in Downtown Development Initiatives - M. Schurter A great deal of discussion was held on the focus of this committee, as to its value to Council and its role in helping with the development of the downtown area. The members would like to become more involved in the actions, beyond just information sharing. Members are feeling frustrated with not having meetings for the last three months and are wondering if the DAC committee serves a purpose to the city. A suggestion to have members appointed to a three-year commitment instead of the one-year term would be of value. Another suggestion is to develop sub-committees to focus on specific topics of concern. City staff were asked to provide clarification as to why renewal membership applications are sent out to some members and not to others. From the discussion, M. Schurter summarised the DAC committee roles as outlined in the attached document ("Role ofDAC -2004 and Beyond" DRAFT). DAC members to provide feedback and discuss at next meeting. Cst. J. Davis left the meeting. 6. KDBA Up-Date - M. Schreiter M. Schreiter was unavailable to provide an update. A. Petsche-Good commented that a fashion show would be televised. 7. Downtown Up-Date - M. Schurter M. Schurter provided the members with hard copies of the sites in the downtown area that are under construction. Please note a copy is attached to the minutes. Market Lane - G. Richardson is working on the plans for the reconstruction of the whole lane. There are restrictions because the seasonal produce vendors need access to the lane for the Saturday market days. A concern was raised that several vendors may not be part of the new market because the fee for a stall has gone up to $8,000.00. Stephanie Massel will be invited to our November meeting to address the vendors concerns. Mayfair - A youth group has informed City staffthat they plan to "take back" the Mayfair on Oct. 10th. S. Adams is working with police, city staff, the Streetworker (Gerard Keough), and KHI to ensure a safe response. TD Canada Trust will be moving 200 jobs and some office space in Downtown Kitchener to London and Mississauga areas. Arvato at 235 King Street is expanding their call centre services and will be hiring 250 staff. Gerard Keough, the new Streetworker will provide strategies and resources to improve the sense of safety in Downtown. He will work with merchants, street people and agencies. M. Schurter asked members if they would like to receive the Evolution newsletter to please let us know and we will place them on the mailing list. Victoria Park Boathouse has housed several different restaurant ventures with very little success in the past 4 years. The usage of the boathouse is currently being reviewed by city staff. Opportunities 2000 will be hosting a network exchange and speaker series at the Victoria Park Pavilion into the new year. Members received the scheduled workshop dates. The contact information is: Lea Porter, 883-2353 X 5985, or op2000~lwdcoda, org. Film KW is now under the direction of Don Chapman in the Community Service's division. He is excited to use the potential for this service to attract new energy to downtown. The upper Forsyth lot has been paved, and transformed into a neater parking area, to keep the gravel from sliding onto the lower paved lot. EDAC Up-Date - Joan Euler J. Euler was unavailable to give a report. Safe & Healthy Communities Committee Up-Date - Doug Hoch D. Hoch stated that the committee is reviewing the Emergency Response Plan for the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex. Also, for information purposes, 72 neighbours took part in the Festival of Neighbourhoods. An excellent response! 10. Arts & Culture Committee Up-Date - Denis Pellerin D. Pellerin deferred his report to next month. 11. New Business/Agenda Items Roles & Functions of City Staff- G. Richardson explained to members that his role with the city is in the planning and developing of current and long-range plans. M. Schurter is responsible for the programming aspects of ongoing projects and initiatives. D. Pellerin suggested that the agenda items be placed in reverse order for next month' s meeting. S. Gunz suggested that it would be helpful if an organization chart of the Downtown Advisory Committee be developed and placed on the City of Kitchener's website. D. Pellerin explained to the committee that he and his family have been coming to the Oktoberfest events for the past 36 years and he feels that more community involvement of families and businesses should be encourage. He suggested that the area could be decorated to bring life to the downtown. D. Pellerin and his wife would be happy to organize a hayride with a sign "Hop On/Hop Off" where families and/or individuals could ride from one side of King Street in Kitchener to the other side of Waterloo and back again. People would be able to hop off and on at any given point to visit/shop at nearby businesses. D. Hoch suggested that a fun tour map could be develop and given to visitors as they enjoy the ride. D. Pellerin asked for the committee support with this venture, which the members all agreed - it sounds like a fun and great idea. D. Pellerin will ask the Arts & Culture Advisory Council (ACAC) and the Oktoberfest committees for their support. On motion the meeting was adjourned at 6:25 p.m. Next Meeting will be held on Thursday, November 13th. starting at 4 p.m. in the Conestoga Room at City Hall. "Role of DAC - 2004 and Beyond" DRAFT Advisory Body for Council - Before items related to Downtown are reviewed by Council, they would be given to DAC to allow the committee an opportunity to provide feedback. The definition of 'items related to Downtown' would need to be clarified. EDAC apparently performs this function now, re: Economic Development items. - DAC members could attend new projects meetings and provide consultation on how ideas fit with overall strategic plan. For example, more information/feedback could be exchanged between DAC and the Four Churches Project. Identify downtown priorities. In discussing current challenges and opportunities from other committees and roles that members hold, DAC would highlight areas for further attention. As priorities and needs are identified, DAC could create sub-committees and working groups. These working groups would respond to micro and macro opportunities, such as the lighting study in the downtown, the library, marketing, and special events. General information exchange - reports from other committees and groups that DAC members and city staff participate in. DAC meetings could be broken into two components: Half hour of information exchange One hour for working group reports/discussions/presentations/etc.