HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-11-22 DOWNTOWN ACTION & ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES November 22, 2018 City of Kitchener The Downtown Action & Advisory Committee met this date, commencing at 4:00 p.m. Present: Sarah Marsh, David Harmes, Melissa Bowman, Brian Santos, Aaron Francis, Bryn Ossington, Andrea Santi, Martin Timmerman Staff: C. Bluhm, Executive Director Economic Development H. Abel, Manager Downtown Development M. Brown, Downtown Marketing & Program Coordinator M. Love, Development Services 1. Information Items/Unfinished Business Cory Bluhm – Thanked DAAC for their commitment to their role on the committee for the past 2 years. Margaret Love – Discussed her new role Manager of Service Coordination and improvement with Development Services. She is reviewing the process and status of customer service. She’s been conducting surveys and 1-1s with stakeholders to identify areas of opportunities, and to provide a scope for the review. Margaret will come back to present findings and updates over the next two years. 2. Discussion Items Shape King Street East: community consultation summary – Downtown Kitchener Team held a public consultation at the Kitchener Market on November 6 to discuss the future of King Street East. The top ideas were presented and the group was asked to conduct their own idea generation and prioritizing (urgency/impact) activity. nd  Temporary art, events/festivals, better use of laneways \[2 multicultural food events\] nd  Storefront improvement strategy, storefront lighting \[2 sidewalk sales and events, better signage at the top of the highway leading into the 401: “not downtown yet”\]  Street lighting, safety audit, more strategic partnerships Melissa asks if there will be an analysis on how people already interact/use the space. Hilary clarifies that it’s a forward-thinking activity but we’ll explore some ways to measure that currently. Downtown Team will share updates throughout the next steps. 3. Adjournment On motion, the meeting adjourned at 5:30 p.m.