London to host Creative City Summit
London is holding the three-day Creative City Summit starting today, an assembly of about 140 people passionate about making their communities more fun and more interesting. Livelier, healthier, smarter.
A creative city is one that “people of all ages and ethnicities feel proud to call home,” said Robin Armistead, London’s manager of culture and an organizer of the conference. “What makes your city liveable — that’s what it’s all about.”
When e-technology allows people to move almost anywhere their ideas will take them, creative cities are about drawing them to a place where they can live.
That translates into bold new buildings and repurposed old ones, lively restaurants, cool businesses, brilliant nature, and an economy built on vision.
More information can be found here.
Source: LFPress.com
Richmond Row Restaurants Close
Two mainstay restaurants on London’s Richmond Row are closed, but a white knight is knocking on the door.
T.J. Baxter’s and Oscar Taylor’s, which debuted in 1991, have been closed since New Year’s Eve and plans to shut them down have been in place for at least a few weeks.
Those who supplied beer and food to those eateries were told their services wouldn’t be needed in the new year, restaurant industry sources say.
This week, employees were also told of the closings.
But while the news seemed dire for what may be the most prosperous retail strip in London, it appears good news is just around the corner.
The same sources that say T.J. Baxter’s and Oscar Taylor’s are out believe a national player will replace them SIR Corp., whose restaurants include Jack Astor’s Bar and Grill.
Those beliefs gained traction Tuesday when officials associated with SIR Corp. were seen taking measurements in T.J. Baxter’s.
Neither officials with SIR Corp. nor the building’s owner responded Tuesday to Free Press interview requests.
Yay, more chain food!
Source: London Free Press
New Development in London’s Downtown
Before a shovel was even in the ground, London’s first downtown commercial development in more than 15 years has already leased much of its space.
City and business leaders Tuesday officially took the wraps off the $10 million, 30,000-square-foot commercial plaza which will go up in the parking lot at Richmond and Carling streets, next to Moxie’s, that will be home to an expanded Shoppers Drug Mart, and an insurance broker moving to the core.
Rocco Tullio, president of Rock Developments in Windsor, is building the new office building and also bought the former Canadian Tire store in Masonville, redeveloping 75,000 sq. ft. of commercial space, a $13 million investment.
The most important thing is the tenants want to be there. Shoppers was a driving force saying they want a new home downtown. The drug store will close its store on Dundas St., just west of Richmond.
“The downtown is the heart, soul and spirit of a city. Getting more residential and commercial development is crucial to the well being of the core,” said Mayor Joe Fontana.
Construction will begin in mid January and be completed by August, with tenants moving in in September.
Source: London Free Press
Decorative Crosswalks on King Street
The final push is on to get the revitalized King Street streetscape completed by the end of the construction season. But the $10.9-million project isn’t running out of time. Favorable weather and contractor efficiencies have meant the work west of Gaukel Street was completed faster this year than the first phase was last year.
Crews closed King Street west of Benton Street earlier this week to complete an entrance feature that was bumped last year by tight Oktoberfest timelines. The work will include a decorative paving-stone crosswalk and a concrete roadway similar to the one already in front of city hall.
That section of King Street will be closed until Labour Day.
Meanwhile, work on the final block of streetscaping continues further down between Water and Francis streets. Crews have finished the sidewalks and trees have been planted. They’re working to install paving stones before the road work is wrapped up. There will be an entrance feature at that end of the street similar to the one going in at King and Benton. That should be finished by the end of September.
The city is considering adding the same decorative crosswalks throughout the redeveloped street, but hasn’t made a decision on that yet. Those can be installed after the final layer of asphalt is down. The plan was to finish the final layer in 2011, but the work has been accelerated. If nothing alters the pace, it could be finished this year.
The street reconstruction is part of a larger push by the city to bring more traffic and business to the core. The city’s façade improvement grant program in the core has already seen 13 storefronts upgraded, with another three underway and eight approved but not yet started. They’re in addition to a number of businesses — Coffee Culture, Laurier Optical, Crabby Joes and Shoppers Drug Mart — which completed similar improvements outside of the program. Other large downtown projects, including the University of Waterloo’s school of pharmacy, Wilfrid Laurier University’s graduate school of social work and a redevelopment of the former Lang Tannery, are also part of the city’s push to revitalize the core.
Source: TheRecord.com
Given The Go-Ahead On A New Kitchener Cycling Master Plan
Kitchener councillors have approved in principle new planning steps that will make consideration of cyclists’ needs on city roads policy rather than an afterthought. The Cycling Master Plan will see the construction of a network of 114 kilometres of segregated bike lanes, local bicycle streets and multi-use trails with the aim of significantly increasing cycling traffic in the city. The plan would be implemented over two decades and will cost the city about $6.1 million.
It replaces the city’s 1998 Bikeway Study that had become obsolete because of changes in programming, policy and infrastructure. Much of the new cycling network will comprise so-called bicycle priority streets, or traffic-calmed areas that will make it easy for cyclists to navigate existing roadways. The improvements will include signage indicating routes to major destinations and changes to major crossings that would give cyclists priority. The plan also calls for eight kilometres of separated cycle lanes that can safely accommodate cyclists past driveways and intersections. The remainder of the network will be made up of typical bike lanes and marked areas on shared roadways.
The idea is to make Kitchener a “bicycle-friendly city” and encourage people to use their bikes more for commuting, short outings and leisure. While the plan takes into consideration the views of those already sold on cycling, the idea is really to reach out to the majority of residents who are typically “interested but concerned” about cycling on city streets.
The new polices also require engineering staff to automatically consider the needs of cyclists on any future road projects.
There are several road projects coming up in city planning, including reconstruction projects on Huron and Block Line roads, where separated cycling lanes will be looked at. Councillors also agreed to look at the creation of a halftime transportation co-ordinator position to oversee the implementation of the master plan. A decision on that will be made during the 2011 budget review.
The full Cycling Master Plan will be available on the city’s website in the next few days.
Source: TheRecord.com
Grand River Watershed Forum
The future of the Grand River watershed will be examined from a variety of viewpoints at the 10th annual Grand River Watershed Water Forum on Sept. 17, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at Grand River Conservation Authority, 400 Clyde Rd.
The one-day forum is called “Inspiring Grand Transformations: Our Preferred Future” and will feature speakers, panel discussions and displays on the current state and the future of the watershed.
Keynote speaker for the event is noted painter and environmentalist Ken Kirkby of Bowser, B.C., who will offer his special insights into how individuals can make a difference in today’s world.
Source: CambridgeTimes.ca
Ash Borer Beetle turns up in Waterloo Region
Wow, I remember doing a mapping project in College for City of Woodstock regarding Ash Borer Beetles destroying Ash trees in the area.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Waterloo Region in the area of Homer Watson Boulevard/Fountain Street and the 401.
EAB is a highly destructive insect that attacks and kills all species of ash trees and was first discovered in Windsor and Detroit in 2002.
Residents and visitors are asked to take the following steps to help slow the spread of the pest:
• Don’t transfer firewood into or out of Waterloo Region – buy local, burn local, never take it home.
• If you have an ash tree on your private property that is showing signs of decline or distress and suspect it may be infested by the EAB, contact the CFIA at 1-866-463-6017.
Visit EABWaterlooRegion.ca
Source: CambridgeTimes.ca
