HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-06-23
DOWNTOWN ACTION & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES
June 23, 2016 CITY OF KITCHENER
The Downtown Action & Advisory Committee met this date, commencing at 4:00 p.m.
Present: Councillor Frank Etherington, Chair; Craig Beattie; Andre Chin; Amina Gilani; David
Harmes; Kevin Muir; Brian Santos and Don Zehr
Staff: Cory Bluhm, Manager Downtown Development
Josh Joseph, Community Engagement Consultant
Natalie Goss, Senior Planner
Silvia DiDonato, Manager Arts & Culture
Emily Robson, Arts & Culture Coordinator
Sandy Curzon, Committee Administrator
1. Community Engagement Strategy
J. Joseph, Community Engagement Consultant announced a new online forum
that the City of Kitchener has launched that allows Citizens to provide feedback, share opinions
and exchange ideas about city programs, services and decisions that affect them.
ty engagement practices, processes and
policies, Mr. Joseph asked committee to provide their feedback to identify gaps, challenges and
recommendations for improvement. A questionnaire was circulated to Committee which included
a roundtable discussion on:
Experience when sharing input with the City;
Preferences when sharing input with the City, and;
How to encourage the sharing of citizen input
Next Steps
: Plans for workshops to brainstorm solutions for specific issues are underway.
Committee will be made aware of the date of the workshops as they are determined. The results
of the Community Engagement are expected to be shared with Council in the Fall 2016.
2. Comprehensive Review of Zoning By-Law (CRoZBY)
N. Goss provided an overview of CRoZBY. The current zoning by-law, which is 30 years old,
specifies how land can be used.
consolidated into four Urban
City Centre, Civic,
Innovation, and Market. The new zones for downtown will focus on permitted uses. It is estimated
that 480 downtown property owners will be affected by the proposed changes.
DOWNTOWN ACTION & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES
June 23, 2016 CITY OF KITCHENER
anything but industrial and agriculture. Under the proposed changes, traditional main street uses
such as retail and restaurant will continue to be permitted . Other uses such as health clinics,
office, daycare, etc. are under review to determine how many, if any, should be permitted on the
ground floor.
Comments from DAAC members:
Offices located on the ground floor of buildings create gaps in enjoying a walkable King Street
Is one per block too much for uses such as payday loan stores
Ensure that the uses fit the vision of King Street as a walkable street should some uses be
relocated off King Street?
Personal Services category seems wide open, should the city consider being more detailed
Zone changes will be legal non-conforming once a business leaves, the new zoning will be
put in place
Next Steps:
Planning Staff will discuss bonusing and parking at a future meeting of DAAC.
3. Arts Action Plan
E. Robson and S. DiDonato presented the Arts Action Plan which ultimately will align with the
Make it Kitchener. The Vision for 2020 includes:
Commit to artists in the region
Take creative collaboration seriously
Invest in innovative cultural startups
Cultivates business opportunities
Offer spaces and places that foster creation
Arts & Culture Committee are working on identifying the obstacles/challenges and how to
overcome them:
Recognize arts/culture as an economic development sector
Support professional development opportunities and foster a startup landing pad program for
creative clusters
Support and enable high impact projects and programs
Be a catalyst for success in creative industries
Comments to consider:
Performance evaluation have there been successes/failures
20 years of data reoccurring themes i.e. affordable space; collective promotions;
Technology has move options forward
Focus on media and collaboration i.e. Legion Building
he depth of the arts community in Kitchener?
DAAC Minutes Page 2
DOWNTOWN ACTION & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES
June 23, 2016 CITY OF KITCHENER
Work with artists who want to move forward and broaden their market (visual market)
Turn lobbyist into professionals share services, like Communitech
Does/could the City subsidize?
What is the role of downtown innovation; inspiration
Next Steps
: Arts Action Plan to Council in Fall 2016
4. Information Items
2016 Event Calendar and Staycation brochure were made available to members
th
July 28 DAAC Agenda Tour of 48 Ontario Street former Legion
5. Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 5:55pm
S. Curzon
Committee Administrator
DAAC Minutes Page 3