THE MAIN STREET REVITALIZATION SURVEY
by E. Kaye Fulton, (reprinted from the December 2005 Mainstreeter)
Nearly every street and apartment complex in Old Ottawa East is represented in this interim report of the survey. Still, completion of the neighbourhood canvas in the coming months – particularly a more thorough campaign in the Lees Ave. apartments – will give an even fuller picture of the entire community.
A HOME FOR ALL AGES: Who we are
Old Ottawa East is a young and vibrant community. Two of three people surveyed – for the most part, from single-family homes or townhouses – have lived here less than 15 years. More than one-third of us are newcomers of less than five years.
At the same time, our community draws upon the experience and knowledge of our long-time residents. Historically, when people settled here they most often came to stay. Among those who completed a survey are the16 percent of us who have called Old Ottawa East home for more than a quarter-century, one of them since 1925.
How long have you lived in Old Ottawa East?
Years*
Less than 1 1 - 5 6 - 10 11 - 15 16 - 20 21 - 25 26 - 50 51+ *Does not include ‘no response’.
“Looking back on 62 years in Old Ottawa East, this was an island of modest homes, schools and churches, with small businesses and shops interspersed for the convenience of people living here. There was a small-town atmosphere with stately trees and well-tended gardens. Then came the Queensway, high-rise buildings, traffic and noise.” LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Why we live here
Despite its obvious flaws, our community gives us the best of two worlds – within walking distance of downtown, we are also far enough away that most of us escape the constant noise and hustle of urban life. As one respondent puts it: “Old Ottawa East is like an island, a quiet area set apart from the rest of the city.”
Our great location also gives us exceptional access to other amenities. Nestled around the sprawling campus of Saint Paul University, we like living close to both the University of Ottawa and Carleton. Many of us appreciate the fact we can walk or bike to work. Although we’d like more footpaths of our own, we enjoy our access to the City-wide network of bike and pedestrian trails.
We covet our proximity to the Rideau River and the Canal. In fact, our unique natural setting is one of the strongest attractions overall, especially in conjunction with the nearness of other, more active, communities such as the Glebe or Elgin Street. “We are animal and nature lovers,” wrote one resident. Our second top reason for living here is that we like our neighbours. We are especially proud of our diversity – a singular tapestry that includes our young and our old, our mix of housing, our cultural depth. Several respondents cite the religious and ethnic richness of the area, particularly the Lees Ave. apartments. Others describe the eclectic mix of neighbourhoods.
“A footbridge over the canal at 5th and Clegg would make us part of a walking loop – as we are in winter – and would add an entirely new dimension.” “We are a little town within the big city and it would be nice to stay that way,’ wrote one resident. “ I see Main Street (in the future) as our high street with green grocer, butcher, a pub where you meet your neighbours; a bike ride away to a screwdriver or light bulb or a loaf of bread.”
There is one aspect, however, that we concede is a thing of the past. “Reasonable cost of housing?’ wrote more than one of us. “That’s a joke, right?”
I like living here for the following reasons:
Reasons by percent *
Close to Downtown The neighbourhood and the people Near the Canal and the Rideau River Reasonable cost of housing *Some people make multiple first choices.
POCKETS OF POTENTIAL: What we have
It may not seem like it, but there are 32 existing businesses and shops along Main Street and Hawthorne Avenue, including three convenience stores, two cycle shops, three hair stylists and a barber.
The overwhelming majority of us – almost 95 percent – say we use existing stores and services, more than 60 percent of us at least once a week. To put that into perspective however, most of us frequent the same handful of establishments, at the most only three stores.
Of these, the three convenience stores (Alpha, Dixie Dairy, and Main Convenience) attract a combined 79 percent of shoppers, while more than 40 percent of us use either the Wheat Berry or the Green Door restaurant and 30 percent, the Main Pharmacy.
Which existing stores or services are most important to you?
Stores Frequented
Convenience Stores The Wheat Berry Green Door Main Pharmacy Medical Building Singing Pebble Bookstore Scotiabank 13
Only 25 of the 500 people (5%) surveyed say they do not use Main Street at all. The reasons they don’t are telling – since many supporters of existing commercial establishments on Main and Hawthorne voice similar complaints. Among the deterrents: parking is too difficult; there is not enough variety; they prefer shopping malls or stores with longer hours; or shopping along Main Street is simply unpleasant because of litter and traffic.
BARRIERS: What holds us backWe’ve watched Main Street slip away over the years – and we’ve come to recognize formidable obstacles that discourage future growth.
Some of those barriers are physical, such as a patchwork streetscape of vast institutional lands and vacant storefronts owned by uninspired landlords. Or the devolution of Main Street into an arterial speedway to and from downtown.
Some of our problems have political roots. Until recently, it seemed that if there were a crack to fall through at City Hall, Main Street found it.
Still other barriers are psychological in nature, including a defeatist perception that nothing can be done in a risk-averse culture that fails to foster the vision, or the political will, to change.
The survey asks residents to rank three specific issues in terms of the degree that they impede the creation of a more vibrant commercial base.
- Parking is considered the biggest obstacle by one of three respondents. Many cite a lack of on-street parking that cripples potential at otherwise natural junctures, particularly at Main and Hawthorne. They point out that visitors to the community have access to only one small public parking lot. Intertwined with parking is its moveable twin: the speed of rush-hour traffic. As one respondent asked: “If it looks and feels like a drive-through, who wants to stop?”
- Inadequate room to grow is a phrase that leaps from every recent City planning report on Main Street’s apparent lack of potential. Many respondents agree – 30 percent of us – but an equal number lament a lack of commitment by business, political and community leaders to find workable solutions.
- Only 10 percent of respondents buy the argument of an inadequate population base. “It’s downtown!” exclaimed one resident. “Let’s not defy logic”.
MAIN STREET VILLAGE: What we want
We are virtually unanimous: our community wants, and feels it deserves, a greater variety and number of shops and services.
Two of three of us believe it is highly important that measures be taken to encourage, and in some cases require, the development of a more commercialized core.
“I see an environment where people will stop after work, have a coffee or a meal, pick up a few last minute things,” wrote one resident. “But I also see it as a place where people will want to linger, meet friends and spend a little time rather than treating the neighbourhood like a ‘little Queensway.’”
How important is it to have more services or businesses in Ottawa East?
More services
Highly important Somewhat important Not important at all No response
REMEDIES: What we can do
Quick as we are to spot the hurdles, residents of Old Ottawa East seem prepared and willing to help overcome them.
The survey does not specifically ask for ways to solve our problems. Yet many of us cannot help but offer an antidote for what ails us.
“Why not turn an obstacle into an asset? Too much green space? Plant gardens! Too much street? Dress up with wider sidewalks, attractive lighting and signs, benches and focal points! No imagination? Think again – don’t give up!” To solve the parking problem, some suggest an off-hour reduction in traffic lanes and weekend parking in private lots such as those at St. Paul's and Immaculata. Or better still, some say, flip a car-culture on its head by encouraging innovative public transit and pedestrian-friendly options such as bicycle lanes, a weekend farmers’ market, and pedestrian links to sister communities in the Glebe and along Elgin Street. “Why on earth do we need speed inside our inner city?” asked one resident.
From a planning perspective, residents call for a unified effort by developers and the City to create attractive shopping pockets that blend in a seamless and orderly way with residential and institutional sections of the street. “It doesn’t have to be one big stretch of either stores or houses. What it does have to be is linked,” wrote one resident. Said another: “Promote community character. Renovate rather than rebuild. No more high-rises.”
To accomplish this revitalization, some residents suggest a concerted promotion of the Main Street ‘brand’ throughout the city, with targeted advertising and awareness campaigns. Noted one respondent: “If we can’t ‘build it and they will come’, surely we could invite people ‘to come and help us build.’”We may differ on how we’d do it, but the majority of us – more than 70 percent – want to rebuild the heart of our community with a mix of commercial and residential development. In sharp contrast, only 2 percent want Main Street to be wholly residential.
Four distinct themes – working as either stand-alone options or in different combinations – have emerged.
Some of us want to capitalize on the success of the Wheat Berry block by creating an eco-friendly, ‘green niche’ that promotes a healthy, energy-saving lifestyle. A second, similar option focuses on our unique location between the Rideau River and Canal, with footpaths; small boat launches; and more inviting uses of our parkland and open spaces.
Others suggest building upon the international and multicultural demographics of Old Ottawa East and/or highlighting the spiritual and philosophical wealth within our institutional clusters and multi-denominational churches. Offered one resident: “Already the street is a bit ‘alternative’ – we could develop food for body, mind and soul.
“Maintain the character and vibrancy of the neighbourhood. This means a diverse population – age, ethnicity, income. The only way to do this is with mixed-use development, which must include some low-income housing. Libraries and recreational facilities accessible to all are very important as well.” ”The survey asks respondents to rank their top five choices from among a dozen new services or shops. Clearly, our community is coffee-deprived. “We need our own personalized coffee shop,” is a common refrain. “We have lots of little pockets,” wrote one resident. “It would be nice to link them with more shops – a hardware store, a coffee shop, a café, more variety in food shops. I miss Art’s Market.”
Please rank the top five commercial services you would like to see on Main and Hawthorne.
Choice by Percentage*
coffee shop bakery café, casual vegetable store post office library pub butcher shop *Some people have multiple first choices.
Once we get going, of course, we can’t stop.
With a startling burst of entrepreneurial zest, about 80 percent of us listed five or more shops and services on our wish lists.
Dozens of people want a hardware store; a dozen more want our gas station back. What about a landscape design shop with funky pots and plants? A garden centre or a flower shop? Someone suggests turning the Petro Canada site into an arcade; others say the historic de Mazenod building is tailor-made for a drama and arts centre or a theatre like the Bytown.
The list is endless: a hobby shop, a newspaper and magazine store; a delicatessen; shops selling gourmet food; antiques and furniture; vintage clothing; a spa; a pub with outdoor patios; a music centre with used equipment, courses and live entertainment; an art studio that offers art supplies, lessons and displays. Put a post office and a few magazines in a coffee shop and they’d have to kick us out.
“Perhaps The Main could become a place to come for your various javas, a leisurely Sunday brunch or even that ‘thing-a-majig’ that fits into your ‘whatja-macall-it’ when up to your elbows in an unexpected repair.” Overarching these choices and themes is the recurring motif of a Main Street ‘village’ – a place where people gather, on their own time, to get to know and talk to each other. “I want to meet and see my neighbours!” said one resident.
This village could consist of any number of distinctive features: banners, courtyards, flower baskets, fountains, plaques and sculptures to commemorate our history. “We could brand the area as Old Ottawa East Village, with subgroups like Rideau Gardens, Greenfield Village, Lees Ave. Towers,” suggested one resident. “What about an ice sculpture contest on either side of Main between Saint Paul’s and Immaculata?” wrote another.
Key to this shared vision is a priority on locally owned and operated specialty boutiques and stores, rather than fast food or chain outlets, to set us apart as a unique and attractive place to live and visit.
Picture it.
A Main Street Village.
It’s what many of us are saying we want.
“A more vibrant Old Ottawa East needs a mixture of residential and business with shops, cafes, parks. This neighbourhood is becoming an apartment and condo city. There is no centre or core. Without either, there is no soul.”
That’s your neighbour talking.
This interim report of the Main Street Revitalization Survey is based on 500 responses to surveys conducted between June and November 2005. Part of an ongoing campaign, questionnaires were distributed through three different venues: The Main Event held in Old Ottawa East on June 18; publication in three issues of The Mainstreeter; and a block-by-block canvas of neighbourhoods by community volunteers.