WELCOME City of Catharines Streetscaping St. Paul Street and Carlisle Street Public Open House June 9, 2016 FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Welcome to the Public Open House Please register your name on the sign-in sheet provided. Take time to review the displays and ask questions. Please fill out a questionnaire and comment sheet. Please deposit your comment sheets in the Comment Box or forward them by mail or email by June 16, 2016.
The Downtown Streetscaping project for St. Paul and Carlisle streets involves complete road reconstruction including new sidewalks, curbs, road structure, on-street parking, road drainage, new street lighting, street furniture and landscaping. When complete it will provide improved safety and comfortable access for all users. In order to accommodate the opening of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre and required utility replacements and upgrades, it has been necessary to undertake this work in phases. Phase 1 This work was completed during the summer of 2015 and involved all the landscaping in front of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre from the new curb line to the building face including the construction of a bus bay on Carlisle Street. Phase 2 - Enbridge Gas relocation of existing gas main and services. These works are currently under way by Enbridge Gas. Expected to be complete by June 17 2016.
Phase 3 - A Public Information Centre was held on April 14, 2015. At that time plans were presented that showed parking on both sides of St. Paul Street between Garden Park and James Street. Due to the comments received from the public following this meeting the City is now proposing to remove parking from the north side of St. Paul Street between Garden Park and James Street. A loading zone and 3 parking stalls would remain on the south side along with an accessible drop off area. Construction of Phase 3 is scheduled for 2017 Public Input is an essential part of this project. Please view the proposed designs and let us know what you think of the proposed changes.
Parking Proposed at April 14, 2015 Public Information Centre This design had parking on both sides but resulted in narrow sidewalks. Comments from the public at this time indicated that wider sidewalks were preferred on the north side of the street over parking.
Current Proposal to Remove Parking on the North Side of St. Paul between Garden Park and James Street (Extra wide sidewalks allow for outdoor commerce)
Parking The provision of on-street parking is a necessity for many local businesses. Parking spots often serve a dual purpose for parking and a dedicated delivery point. Alternative municipal parking is located in close proximity at the Garden Park / Carlisle Street Garage and the Garden Park Parking Lot Wider Sidewalks Providing wider sidewalks along St. Paul Street will help to create a more comfortable and enjoyable pedestrian experience. Widening the sidewalks will provide a more generous clear pedestrian path and provide opportunities for amenities such as enhanced landscaping, larger trees and street furniture. The additional space can also be used by businesses for the installation of sidewalk patios or merchandise displays. Street Trees The inclusion of tree plantings is an integral component to the creation of complete and beautiful streets. Tree plantings provide several significant benefits to the street and the pedestrian experience including shade, greening, and buffering between pedestrians and cars. Rows of street trees also help to frame the sidewalk and create a more comfortable pedestrian scale, while also enhancing streetscape character. Widening the sidewalks will allow for the planting of larger street tree species due to the increased offset from the buildings and larger canopy and root zones.
Tell us what you think of the proposed changes! Take the Survey on the handout provided or at www.stcatharines.ca/stpaulstreetsurvey