Last week’s headlining issue at city council was the ByWard Market, which, admittedly, has been top of mind for many Ottawa residents and councillors for years. Although the question of how to improve and support the Market has been ongoing, the neighbourhood could see a new era on the horizon thanks to a revitalization plan that has been approved by council.
The $200 million plan details ideas to revitalize the historic area, prioritizing pedestrian-friendly streets, new attractions and major infrastructure upgrades.
There are also proposals to redesign the York Street Plaza and ByWard Market Square, expand pedestrian zones, and redevelop the Clarence Street parking garage into a community hub.
The immediate steps include $2.7 million for the design phase of 55 ByWard Market Square, $4.5 million for the design phase of the York Street Plaza, $200,000 to implement a parking replacement and access strategy, and an options analysis for 70 Clarence Street, which will explore a building concept and options for maintaining a parking facility and potentially building housing.
A rendering of the plans for ByWard Market Square.
When my colleague Charlie spoke to Coun. Stephanie Plante, whose ward is home to the ByWard Market, she said the new plans reflect lessons learned from an earlier revitalization plan that was approved by the council in 2021 but had minimal tangible impact.
This story is only available for members. Unlock this and other City Hall Insider stories and save 29%
We need 100 new members this month to fund our hyper-local journalism. So far, we’re at 62, which means we’re still 38 short of our goal. Get the discount before it ends on March 31.
Save 29% off a membershipJoin 2,000+ Lookout members who get:
- Exclusive City Hall Insider newsletter
- Access to all paywalled stories
- Early access to Lookout events
- Invest in local journalism and the Ottawa journalists who write our stories
- Risk free: Cancel anytime and get a 100% refund
