City Council on Oct. 6 includes presentation by consultants
By Mark Schadenberg
The Woodstock City Council agenda for Oct. 6 is a mere 146 pages, but the ‘highlight of the show’ will certainly be pages 45-82.
In writing
circles this would be described as a matter-of-fact lead to a story, but in
reality with the Woodstock municipal elections slated for Oct. 24, the MHBC Planning
consultants' prepared document noted in that range of pages is clearly important
and a very interesting read indeed.
This
professional writer can elude the critics about a boring prose because the ‘Streetscape
Master Plan & Re-Visioning of Museum Square’ of Woodstock could set the
tone for the next 4 years in the BIA’s Downtown core. As is often noted at the
beginning of a seminar by any well-respected consultant or instructor, pay attention as there will be a
quiz.
The streetscape
plan as presented at Thursday’s City Council is a compilation of many public
meetings, online surveys, QR code created questionnaires, discussions with the current
council and this community’s economic development office, plus one-on-one talks
with merchants, consumers and downtown residents. By the way, there are many city folks with direct relationships with this Downtown focus and revitalization including
the art gallery, museum and small business centre.
The 38 pages
of pictures, graphs, overviews, suggestions and visionary drawings is the
culmination of many ideas and has now evolved into a working document or a game
plan to move forward on.
The MHBC
Overview (From the power point):
Downtown Woodstock is the dynamic heart of Oxford County. This area is intended to be the most intensive and functionally diverse area of Woodstock, serving as the primary business, cultural and administrative centre in the County.
Museum Square acts as central focus point within the downtown
and is host to many of the City’s events and festivals. This Streetscape Master
Plan is intended to serve as a tool to guide design and expenditures of future
streetscape and related infrastructure in the City’s core. Creating a central
focal point that is accessible to the public and an attractive urban space with
a wide variety of programming opportunities is a critical component to the
overall project. Special attention has been given to Museum Square and the
opportunities to create a space that better serves the needs of the community
and provide users with a space that allows for relaxation, discovery, and
active and passive engagement. The redesign of Museum Square has considered
design elements that complement the streetscape to ensure a cohesive high
quality urban design and aesthetic public realm.
The Downtown BIA core area is one specific area to analyze versus the entire Entrepreneurial zoned space, but the core of the core must be Museum Square. A skating rink in the winter and a place to gather in warmer months are specific ideas to be nurtured here, but so are the selection of trees and garden spaces. How will the Pattullo fountain anchor this ‘park’? How will the connectivity of trails for walking or bicycles be integrated? Has the overall plan included aspects of accessibility? Are plans for small concerts, friendship gatherings, and art displays under consideration?
Yes, there are benches in the drawings.
The comprehensive
study has not been approved by council, but will be discussed on Oct. 6. Also, any
dollar amounts attached to improvements are items to be approved by the next
council in the 2023 capital budget.
A ‘pdf’ of this report should be of keen interest to everyone. In Brantford, they have Harmony Square. I Googled Stratford to read about their focus and oddly the first downtown strategy to appear was a 2020 project in Stratford, PEI. All communities have a desire to make their downtown better – to attract merchants which will attract consumers – or to attract restaurants which bolster foot traffic and car traffic and store sales.
You can
email your compliments or critiques to me, and they will be considered.
In the
meantime, support your Downtown.
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