Strategies for renovating public space
The strategies discussed so far would be better placed in a planning document pertaining to the city as a whole. The city has recently released a draft copy of its city wide document, but, unfortunately, that document does not address these very important issues. Unless that draft is significantly amended public support for other planning efforts, such as my own, are the best we can hope for. From now on the strategies discussed will drill down to issues and opportunities specific to the study area. Still we have to keep in mind that very little can be done without addressing the previous three issues.
Public space includes all streets and roads and the highway in the study area. As well, it includes the city owned properties, including the Jean Burns Site, structures that a printing company and a tattoo parlour, and parking lots on Cavan Street with the steps up from Cavan Street to Nob Hill, and a parking lot behind the buildings on Victoria Crescent and between the highway. It also includes a park which contains the Italian Fountain and the park between the Old FireHall and Esplanade between Victoria and the highway. If fact the majority of the study area is public space which allows for a number of smaller projects to be developed so that they can support the larger projects. These projects have been mentioned in the walkthrough section of this plan. They include:
1) Road diet: reducing the width of the highway, and all the streets and roads in the study area. Improve the intersection of Wallace,
Commercial, Victoria Crescent, and Albert Street.
2) Cavan Street improvements: adding trees, adding bicycle lockers, rebuilding sidewalks, improving stairs to Nob Hill, improving the
entrances to Cavan Street to make them more pedestrian friendly.
3) China Steps improvements: add a cycleway that goes down from Victoria Crescent, under the highway through a tunnel and up to
the shopping mall through a remodeled Italian Fountain Park.
4) Remodel the Shaw Lane and its parking lot to allow access from Lois Lane. Lower the parking lot to the new level of Lois Lane, and
add an upper level pedestrian walkway connecting the buildings fronting Victoria Crescent. Prepare the site for the eventual
construction of affordable housing above.
5) Remodel Italian Fountain Park so that it is an attractive amenity that accommodates pedestrians and the added cycle path.
6) Add structures along Lois Lane that can be leased to retailers.