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Home My WebLink About2018-10-25 DOWNTOWN ACTION & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES October 25, 2018 City of Kitchener The Downtown Action & Advisory Committee met this date, commencing at 4:00 p.m. Present: Andrea Santi, Melissa Bowman, Martin Timmerman, Brian Santos (Chair), Bryan Gracan, David Harmes, Councillor Sarah Marsh Staff: Hilary Abel, Chloe Howell Delegations: Emily Robson, Coordinator, Arts & Creative Industries, City of Kitchener Karoline Varin Program Assistant, Arts & Creative Industries, City of Kitchener Discussion Items 1. ‘The Canoe’ public art restoration Emily Robson and Karoline Varin presented DAAC with some images of the public art piece located in Victoria Park called ‘The Canoe’, which is in a state of disrepair and needs to be restored. The major issues include vandalism of the canoe paddles, land erosion and aluminum leaching. The cost to repair public art is funded through a capital account, which typically accumulates funding over many years. This accumulation is necessary due to the high cost of repair; one example of these high costs is hiring a conservator. In this particular case, the City of Kitchener is fortunate enough to work with the original artist to restore the piece. The intent is to not change the design in any significant way, some components might have to be altered slightly (for instance, modify the waves landform to allow for better maintenance), but no substantial features will change. 2. Urban Design Manual Update Dayna Edwards and Adam Clark gave a project overview on the Urban Design Manual update. See attachment 1 for presentation. 1 DOWNTOWN ACTION & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES October 25, 2018 City of Kitchener The manual we have now was created in 1999, so there is a significant need for it to be updated, bringing the manual into today’s context. The intentions for the new Urban Design Manual include setting a direction for the future and outlining best practices in a more organized and more consistent manner. Part A of the manual deals with “Land Use & Built Form Guidelines” and is broken up into 13 sections. The section dealing with ‘Design for Tall Buildings’ is already approved and in effect. Project timeline September 2018 Consultation with Committees of Council & Citizen Boards September 15, 2018 Public engagement at Doors Open Waterloo October 2018 and onward Prepare final draft Spring 2019 Stakeholder & Internal staff engagement Fall 2019 Council for final approval The first draft of the updated manual is posted on kitchener.ca. Dayna and Adam are looking for feedback over the winter of 2018-2019. Action: C.Howell to send out a link for DAAC to view the draft online Downtown Kitchener is composed of four design districts; Civic District, Innovation District, City Centre District and the Market District. The committee split into four groups to discuss the proposed design guidelines for of these four areas. Comments and ideas from each group are as follows: 1. The Market District  Like that it is being kept to lower rise buildings. Sunlight is important, tall buildings make the streets feel dark and cold.  Lots of potential for a pedestrian only area in Market Lane.  Would like to see smaller vendors and artisans on Eby Street and Market Lane, maybe some specialty shops. 2 DOWNTOWN ACTION & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES October 25, 2018 City of Kitchener  Explore how to accommodate the huge parking requirements for Saturday’s Market but then parking spaces sitting empty for the rest of the week. 2. City Centre  Pedestrian only King Street.  Housing options encourage ranges of affordability.  Work on the tree canopy in Downtown Kitchener, or encourage innovative ideas for shading where this is not possible.  Worthwhile to connect with Neighbourhood Associations, engaged citizens with a lot of good ideas. 3. Innovation District  Topography lends itself to tall buildings with micro units not suitable for families.  Not just protecting green space, but creating green space is critical.  Mixed use: retail at grade, not just all residential.  Where can we charge our electric cars?  Need more pedestrian crossings. 4. Civic Centre  Opportunity for ‘micro-parks’ – follow the European pattern of creating many small green spaces  Provide public spaces for basketball games, grass areas for lunchtime. Action: Provide Dayna and Adam’s contact details should DAAC members wish to offer feedback on the draft over the winter Meeting adjourned at 5:30 p.m. 3