- OwenSoundHub staff

A standing room only crowd filled the Harmony Centre's studio to hear about the next steps in the Owen Sound's River Precinct redevelopment plans.

It has been more than five years since a previous city council approved the plan by Northwood Associates Landscape Architects in principal. Many of the original “stakeholders” initially consulted, no longer work or even live in the city, and the landscape architect involved has retired.

But support for the concept has been continued by the current council. The costs will be included in future capital budgets, in tandem with necessary upgrades to watermains.

The idea is to highlight our best natural asset – the Sydenham River – and to provide lots of reasons to be on it. The designs are to “strengthen the image and identity of the downtown” and “make it inviting and inclusive”.

Some of the plans for the 800 to 1000 blocks of the east and west sides of the river include:

• Continuous riverside trail linking the harbour and the milldam

• Extend the Percy England Parkette to the top of the riverbank

• Develop a promenade along the top of the riverbank

• Create a market square focused on the river

• Create landings for short term boat tie-up and launching canoes and kayaks

• Create more walkways, trails, and nodes - add benches, trees tables

• Canoe and kayak rentals

• Develop Riverworks in the 900 block of 1^st Avenue East - a pedestrian district with restricted vehicle access, back door shopping, cafés with patios and seating

According to Pam Coulter, Director of Community Services, a traffic study revealed that between 8^th and 10^th Streets, a clockwise pairing of one-way streets best supports the vision of the riverfront precinct.

The presentation from the public meeting, notes and correspondence from previous meetings, and the environmental and archeological studies are also on the City website.