It has been awhile since I wrote in this space about the ongoing efforts to revitalize downtown St. Catharines, so I thought this weekend I would spend some time on the subject following an evening walk around our city centre following a lovely dinner at Dani's Bistro on St. Paul Street.
The first thing you'll notice downtown these days is the pedestrian mall that has part of James Street closed to vehicular traffic from the entrance to Market Square to King Street. I hear the odd complaint about it, but overall, it appears to be a roaring success this year, due in no small part to the fact people actually have the entire summer to enjoy it this year.
The city in their collective wisdom this spring approved the closure of James Street much earlier than last year's test closure, and as a result the crowds have been coming out for the entertainment, the atmosphere and the social interaction. A nice addition this year is better picnic tables, Muskoka chairs and some pretty snazzy park benches.
The entertainment has been great, leading off with guitar virtuoso Pavlo a couple of weeks ago, and in spite of some torrential downpours, people are still showing up to catch a show or two during the week.
No doubt the extra patio space provided by Gord's Place is helping their business this summer, and it adds to the musical and culinary atmosphere downtown.
The Tuesday market running from noon to 8 pm provides another opportunity to come downtown and enjoy some great food and entertainment, too. I have come down a couple of times already and the attendance appears to be growing. The weather is not cooperating on Tuesday, but the people are still coming, so that is a good sign. The Tuesday evening market continues for the rest of the summer.
Moving on to St. Paul Street, I was struck by the number of newly renovated storefronts compared to the last time we did this walk. If anyone doubts the ripple effect of all the investment in the Meridian Centre, the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts and the Performing Arts Centre, take a walk along St. Paul Street like we did this evening. Sure, there are still some empty storefronts down there, but some nice additions and new facades are literally changing the face of St. Paul Street for the better.
One of the most striking changes is at 81 St. Paul Street, once the home of Downtown Fine Music. When the store closed, a series of night-time hot spots came and went, each one looking less inviting than the one before. Now, after considerable renovations I witnessed this spring, Royal LePage has opened a new downtown office in the space and it looks just magnificent. This, dear reader, is how you revitalize a downtown core.
Like the beautifully retro facade of The Boot Shop on James Street, the Royal LePage facade looks striking, while still being understated and elegant. We need more storefronts like this along our main street, following the lead of Verity, Christina's, Gwen's Teas and so many others. The wine route now runs through downtown St. Catharines, so let's make it worth the drive through our city core.
I also had a chance to see the work close up on the new pedestrian walkways going in to the Meridian Centre from St. Paul Street, and they will provide that vital link to the spectator facility while providing ample opportunity to see what we have to offer downtown on your way to or from an event at the new facility. Seeing the sign up on the Meridian Centre does my heart good, too, since I now am a proud employee of a company that believes in community and proves it every day in Niagara and beyond.
I still feel an important yet simple adjustment to downtown traffic flow will benefit the Meridian Centre greatly once it opens this fall. We have to get moving on making William Street a two-way street, so using the Ontario Street parking garage is not a traffic nightmare on game or concert nights at the Centre. Surely this can be achieved with not much capital outlay on the part of the city.
It is unfortunate the old City Lights restaurant is rotting away; surely someone could provide a new vision for that space. But just around the corner you find just that: a new vision for La Scala on Queen Street. What an inviting patio on a summer evening! That will be a destination before this summer is out for sure.
The work is continuing downtown and it is by no means a finished product. But you can see the direction things are heading, and that gives us hope we can finally come downtown and eat, socialize, be entertained and do business in a vital, safe and well-maintained city core. If plans go ahead for a permanent civic square on James Street, that will just add to the friendlier nature of downtown St. Catharines.
Look, nothing is perfect and our downtown will still have blemishes depending on where you are. But the overall effect and feeling is upbeat right now, and that's the way you want it to be after so much investment in the downtown.
There now, feeling better? You should, as I do after simply walking around our downtown this evening. There is so much happening, you have to see it for yourself.
Get downtown and take that walk!
July 12th, 2014.
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