Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-01-25 DOWNTOWN ACTION & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES January 25, 2018 City of Kitchener The Downtown Action & Advisory Committee met this date, commencing at 4:05pm Present: Chair, David Harmes; Melissa Bowman; Councillor Frank Etherington; Aaron Francis; Bryan Gracan; Ruben Grin; Geoffrey Guin; David Harmes; Robert Nyman; Masa Raskovic; Andrea Santi; and Martin Timmerman Staff: Hilary Abel; Mistie Brown: Chloe Howell; Kim Feere and Sandy Curzon 1. Information Items/Unfinished Business Updates: DAAC members welcomed Mistie Brown, who has recently been appointed as Downtown Marketing & Program Coordinator, City of Kitchener. Award ACAC: An Artist in residence has been chosen, which will be announced in the coming months. Committee has stated a desire to revisit the current Terms of Reference so office, which has yet to go to City Council for final approval. Rainbow Crossing The City is currently in the process of working on location & design of a rainbow crosswalk in coordination with Transportation Services staff. 2. Discussion Items: ION & GRT Integration: Messrs. Flynn, Bauman and Pisani from the Region of Waterloo provided an update on the status of ION / GRT integration Working towards integrating services to launch ION in late spring 2018. Integration includes looking at bus stop realignments etc. Street side testing has started in the Erb &Northfield area of Waterloo Charles & Duke will see testing very shortly. It was noted that the testing speeds will vary from 5-15km/hr Anticipated launch in late spring depends on Bombardier setbacks experienced due to delays in getting trains delivered on time (we were meant to have all 14 trains by December, 2017), only 4 trains have been delivered to-date. Page 1 DOWNTOWN ACTION & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES January 25, 2018 City of Kitchener Pre-event planning examples include an ION vehicle stationed in downtown Kitchener during an event (May/June) to inform public, give people a chance to check out a train and familiarize themselves with the services and routes. Cost of delays ($50m) will be shared by the provincial government and Bombardier Marketing will focus on attracting residents from suburban neighbourhoods to the downtown Key initiatives: Seamless connections; direct service between key destinations; frequent routes on busy routes; redesign of local routes to create direct/efficient travel; straightening routes to speed up trips, making sure bus stops are fully accessible; fast and convenient fare payment system and; provide a more comfortable ride, stops and stations The fare card will be launched in the spring simply load value then tap to pay on IOR or GRT. Currently receiving public feedback on route designs and updating of brochure Winter maintenance: the aim is to have tracks cleared within 72 hours. Clearing sidewalks and roads is the first priority 48 hours for finishing bus stops. Will clear snow if 5cm+. GRT are working with contractor to raise the level of snow removal performance and are holding conversations with the municipalities to coordinate sidewalk and road clearing. What is the level of collaboration going to be with LRT and events in Kitchener? For example, during Oktoberfest buses are free of charge. This has been put on the table for discussion and they anticipate some collaboration How late will the ION run? Probably 5am-12:30am. People will be relying on transit to get home late at night (promoting late night bars and restaurants). Very student focused route times; for instance, running the late night loop until 3am Thursday- Sunday from September-June Promoting one system similar to the TTC which has bus routes, a subways system and streetcars. ION is the light rail arm of GRT, utilizing the same payment system. Still exploring ridership and critical mass. Includes looking at shift work times for industrial workers Follow up with the province, as one of the main contributors, will happen immediately after launch. Opportunities for service changes 4 x per year, major changes associated with budget will happen once a year, but can carry out minor changes at any time such as moving a bus stop pole. Anticipated ridership in central corridor 20,000 passengers per day Art installations are going to be placed at various times throughout the year. There are 7 stations identified for permanent public art installations. Page 2 DOWNTOWN ACTION & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES January 25, 2018 City of Kitchener A partial launch can be done, however not preferred. It is expected that 12 of the 14 trains will be running at any given time. Launch will probably include free transit rides to showcase the service and create -in downtown Kitchener and Uptown Waterloo leading up to the launch to build close relationship with businesses and bring attention to the downtown/uptown core operational vehicles, more radio advertising and coordination with community groups to deliver safety kits to neighbourhood associations. Suggested coming back for further discussions as the launch date get closer. Action: Regional staff will be invited back as the launch date approaches, to provide further updates Downtown Financial Incentives st The current Façade Grant Program, which expired December 31 2017 was an incentive for eligible businesses and building owners to enhance the façade of their building including signage, lighting, etc. In order to renew the program, staff are th preparing a report to Finance & Corporate Services on March 5 recommending to extend the program. There continues to be lots of interest in the program, and estimate that 30 additional storefronts would benefit from the program if extended. The fIgnite downtown as a platform for the next generation of urban shops, restaurants, businesses and services st The staff report recommends extending the program until December 31 2021 with the following 3 options: 1) Continue the program as is 2) Continue the program with a refocus on ground floor retail & restaurant tenants only as an incentive for business attraction, whereby, only vacant facades or new businesses would be eligible 3) To further support the Queen Street Placemaking Project, in addition to one of the above 2 options, permit an additional $10k per façade for exterior façade lighting One Committee member suggested additional funding should be made available for public art installations Committee were asked if they would endorse the recommendations there was a mixture of responses who were in support (in part or as a whole) and some who would not support it Page 3 DOWNTOWN ACTION & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES January 25, 2018 City of Kitchener Action: DAAC will receive the updated recommendations in order to provide their feedback/support to be included in the staff report. A copy of the final staff report will then be provided and discuregular scheduled meeting on Thursday February nd 22. 3. Other Business: Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 5:30pm S. Curzon Committee Administrator & Chloe Howell, Recorder Page 4