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DAC\1999-02-11
KITCHENER DOWNTOWN ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES
FEBRUARY 11, 1999
The Kitchener Downtown Advisory Committee met this date under the Chairmanship of
Councillor Mark Yantzi with the following members present: Councillor Karen Taylor-
Harrison, Nancy Brawley, Anita Petsche Good, Peggy Walshe, Denise Shelbourne, Brigid
Loveday, Trudy Beaulne, Brian Scott, David Gowland and Howard Marr.
Others Present: Sybil Frenette, Tim Fox, Grant Nixon, Martin de Groot.
Regrets: Mayor Carl Zehr, Councillor Berry Vrbanovic, Denise Strong, Tom Brennand,
Regis Coladipietro, Greg Kett, Arli Klassen and Staff Sgt. Gary Askin.
It was noted that the committee did not achieve quorum at today's meeting.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA- FEBRUARY 11, 1999
It was decided to confirm the agenda.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES - NOVEMBER 12, 1998, DECEMBER 10, 1998 and
JAN UARY 14, 1999
It was decided that all minutes were confirmed and accurate.
CHURCH TOURS
Martin de Groot attended the meeting to give an outline on upcoming church tours. This
was done once before in May '97. An open house was held at 10 downtown churches on a
Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Their doors were open for tours and it gave the public a
chance to see some of the historical features of the churches. There was another tour
scheduled for this past November but had to be postponed.
Representatives from a number of churches have come forward wanting to participate. A
date of May 30th, 1999 has been decided. If more than 10 churches want to participate, a
second date may be required.
The organizers of the event would like to hold a plenary gathering beforehand to have a
chance to speak to everyone. This would be a good opportunity to provide a handout with
a map showing the location of the churches. The handout would also provide information
on things of interest in each church.
Brian Scott asked how he could get involved. They need people to help with publicity for
the event, suggesting ideas of what can be done during that day. They would also need
volunteers to be available on the day of the event to help with the tours through the
churches.
4. APPOINTMENTS TO DAC
An ad was placed in The Record asking for applications for appointment to the committee.
Only three applications were submitted. We need a more in depth list to take to Council for
their approval. We need to make personal calls to people we would like to see on the
committee asking them to apply. Nancy feels that we need some new people. She noted
all the same people are on a number of committees, we need fresh ideas.
Some suggestions were:
Sandhills Development (senior representative)
Theatre & Co. (arts community)
Volunteer Action Centre
Ray of Hope
Debbie Schlichter (House of Friendship)
CARP - (national seniors group)
Core Area of Ministries
Sybil will contact the above noted organizations to solicit applicants.
NEIGHBOURHOODS IN "TRANSITION"
This was a concern that Trudy had brought up at the last meeting. It is a negative term.
She is concerned that the K-W Hospital area is being referred to as a "neighbourhood in
transition". Mark commented that changing the name doesn't change the process. He
suggested that we ask planning to identify areas of the City that are in "transition" on a
map. This would allow us to identify some of the problem areas. We need to keep
neighbourhoods viable when the use is changing. Sybil felt that it would be an interesting
discussion, change is imminent but unpredictable. We could be more pro-active with the
areas - what would we like to see. It would also allow us to see problem areas in relation
to property standards. It may be a good idea to have someone from zoning do a general
presentation.
DOWNTOWN BARS
Sybil handed out a report that went to Council regarding Downtown Bars and Nightclubs.
This report was kept confidential as we didn't want any of the details to be leaked out. The
City is working with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission. They brought in investigators
unfamiliar to bar owners to work undercover. They went in to the bars to watch, observe
and document. Thirty-two charges were laid, and there will be more to come. There will be
continued inspections and if owners don't clean-up their act, they could loose their license.
The next step is to scrutinize all future license requests. We will be informed of any new
license applications. We can then request a hearing on the grounds of the social impact on
the community. We have used property standard issues, fire regulations, etc. in the past,
but it has not been enough. This gives us a chance to object to the application. The bar
owners also have the right to appeal the decision.
Sybil asked for help with documenting some of the problems that have been going on -
vandalism, drunks, broken windows, insurance premium increases to businesses. The
documentation is required ASAP as there is an upcoming hearing in March. Anita will be
more than happy to supply Sybil with documentation on several incidents. She is very
pleased that Council is taking this approach for the overall good of downtown. Howard
Marr will also provide documentation on several incidents. Sybil commented that they can
go back 5 years. With the influx of large bars, we are experiencing an increase of problems
- the impact has escalated. Nancy will get word out to the businesses.
7. UPDATE ON DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Sybil displayed the logo that was unveiled at Celebrating Our Success. The icons at the
top can be changed to reflect different business types (more choices are being developed
by Reid Group). Any colour combination can be used, script can change, we want
businesses to feel comfortable using this logo on their promotional material. We hope to
have the logo displayed on banners in the summer, on coffee cups, t-shirts, etc. The
Downtown Development Team can now move ahead with their promotional material using
this new logo.
It has been decided that the Governor's House and Gaol Project is not feasible for
affordable housing. It was a wonderful concept but the development would have been too
expensive to be able to offer affordable housing. It has been decided not to proceed with
the project.
Businesses are contacting the DDT directly.
offering money to support events, public art.
The confidence in downtown is growing.
This is good news for us. Businesses are
This is proof that we are making progress.
The Goudies building has been sold. Tim Fox informed the committee that we have been
working on this for a year. When the call for proposal went out, there were 5 serious
proposals received. Part of the criteria was that the City wanted ground floor retail, or a
restaurant- a good street presence. This group fit all criteria. John MacDonald, Martin de
Groot, and now Theatre & Co. are all on board. They have 6 months to complete the
project and they are now looking for funds and tenants. They hope to close the deal by
mid-September.
Sybil has been working on an affidavit for a hearing on an adult peep show next to
Tommy's. It is a series of small cinemas showing adult sex movies. The use is allowed
under zoning as it is being referred to as a theatre. We are trying to build a case for the
hearing using licensing - sex theatre is different than a commercial movie theatre -
therefore the use is inappopriate. We are using the same strategy as with the body rub
parlour issue - ban from the downtown, not the whole City. We are spending millions of
dollars to turn our downtown around, this kind of business thwarts our efforts. A legal firm
has been hired to deal with the issue. Peggy Walshe suggested that it may be a good idea
to put an interest piece in The Record not using any names, but this could backfire if they
take the wrong approach.
David Gowland expressed how pleased he is with the development of the Smiles 'n
Chuckles site. It is a great project. Howard Rotberg should be recognized in some way.
KDBA REPORT
Nancy was very pleased with the Celebrating Our Success evening. An excellent turnout,
positive feedback. She would like input from the Committee on how to improve upon the
awards portion. How can we improve the nominating process, categories, setting criteria?
The Taste of Downtown for the Manulife employees was a huge success. Food was
provided by downtown restaurants, 400-500 employees went through. It was a very
positive event - good feedback from the restaurants, and the employees are happy and
· · nd
excited to be downtown. The next Taste of Downtown wdl be held on February 22 for
Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
The Poseiden Project is still active· An architectural design study needs to be done,
fundraising feasibility, a marketing plan needs to be put together. Community Services
Committee has recommended seed money from the City - this will be going to Council for
approval. All indications look doable.
The staff restructuring at the KDBA is ongoing· Hope to be complete by mid-March·
The KOR Arts Centre is moving along quite well. The artists will attend a future meeting to
show their work.
The KDBA is working on a downtown TV commercial· CKCO has offered to attend different
events and tape them. The footage would be used for the commercial and to produce a
video for promotional use. The KDBA would like to launch something in September.
Nancy expressed her concern over the proposed hostel at the east end of King Street. This
is an area that we are trying to improve, is it in the best interest of the area? Zoning allows
for housing, but does that include a hostel? We need more info. Is this just going to
become a hang out for street kids? Sybil feels that we should meet with them to find out
exactly what they are proposing and how it will be supported. OASIS does not have a good
track record. They only control what goes on inside not on the outside. The other
businesses in this area are not stable enough to support this type of use at the moment.
NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION UPDATES
Cedar Hill NA - Denise made the committee aware of an upcoming coffee house being
offered by their association on February 26th (~ the Mill/Courtland Community Centre.
There will be refreshments and folk music. The money raised will help offset the folk
festival planned for the summer.
Mt. Hope-Breithaupt Park NA - The safety audit process is ongoing. Six neighbourhood
programs are underway - all at capacity. They are planning to create a "babysitters club".
There are plans to offer a women's career planning workshop. The association continues
to use student volunteers from Margaret Ave. School. The Highway 7 issue is still there - a
regional meeting was hosted and over 200 were in attendnace with 50 registered to speak.
Many people are very concerned with the impact on their neighbourhood. (Trudy's notes
are attached for more detailed information)
Victoria Park NA - Brian shared a sample of a newspaper their association is launching.
The newspaper is done in the old style and will feature advertising to help pay the cost.
They hope to have the first issue out by the second of March. He plans to tie in the
"Original City" theme. It will be a bi-monthly publication - 25% advertising, 75% copy.
They will run 2500 copies to be delivered to all residents in the neighbourhood, real estate
offices, the library, and other areas of the city. Anita asked what the advertising costs were
- a 2x5 ad would run $50. There may be package deals as well.
Brian wanted to discuss the Strategic Plan. He thought it represented an excellent step for
the downtown, however he was concerned about the lack of reference to neighbourhoods.
As we ran out of time, this will be discussed again at the next meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 10:30 a.m.
Carol Robinson, Committee Secretary
LIST OF ATTACHMENTS
Downtown Bars and Nightclubs
Mount Hope-Breithaupt Park NA Update
Victoria Park NA Newspaper (sample of design)
Information Piece - Assessing the Impact of Mutual Life's Proposed Parking Lot Expansion