Public shares its vision for downtown space
City hosts information and feedback session for 50/50 lot
Elaine Anselmi
Northern News Services
Friday, May 15, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
For two days earlier this week the windows of an empty office space in the upper level of Centre Square Mall were lined with a long list of potential uses for the vacant parking lot at 50 Street and Franklin Avenue.
Zoe Guile casts a vote for an aboriginal cultural centre to be built on the vacant lot at 50 Street and Franklin Avenue on Wednesday during a public event hosted by the city. - Elaine Anselmi/NNSL photo |
The display was part of the city's attempt to reach out the public and get some input on how the space will eventually be used.
While a new city hall or RCMP detachment were marked off with a long line of red stickers in opposition to the ideas, spaces marked with green stickers indicated that an aboriginal cultural or arts centre were some of the public's top picks to fill the vacant lot at 50 Street and Franklin Avenue.
"I really like the idea of a cultural centre because that's something that's really important," said born-and-raised Yellowknifer Zoe Guile.
"I think its great that it would be accessible to all people - a lot of those centres are outside of the downtown so it would be nice to have it right here."
A mixed-use space that combines an aboriginal centre or a public gallery with some green space interested resident Katheryn Walker, who applauded the city on its public outreach.
"This is so progressive," she said.
"It's amazing because the 50/50 lot is central to downtown, so how it is developed has such an impact on Yellowknife."
Consultants from Taylor Architects Group, formerly Pin/Taylor Architects, were on hand to discuss ideas with the public. The different options for the uses of the 50/50 lot came out of meetings with city council, local business owners and various groups that have a stake in how the lot develops, said architect Ksenia Eic.
As well as arts and cultural space, other popular options listed for the site included a food court, a library and an outdoor market. A less supported option was a condominium development or a parking lot - which is essentially how the public has decided to use the space while it sits vacant.
The City purchased the long-vacant parking lot for $1.45-million last September, with Mayor Mark Heyck providing the tie-breaking vote in favour of it.
Heyck acknowledged that purchasing the lot was a controversial decision, which is why it is so important to consult with the public regarding its plans for the site.
In addition to the drop-in opportunity, the city has hosted workshops where groups walked around the block surrounding the 50/50 lot and then sat down for roundtable discussions on some of the barriers for developing the space and the opportunities.
For the workshops, Heyck said there was a strong turnout of more than 20 people for each session.
"By and large, there was a lot of agreement that the 50/50 lot in particular can be an active space for the community, whether it's a combination of public and private use or public-institutional use," said Heyck.
"There seems to be a strong feeling from everybody, particularly in the workshops that the potential is there to do something very great for downtown."
In developing the downtown lot, Gino Pin, who is consulting with Taylor Architects on the project, said collaborating with First Nations on the project and downtown revitalization in general is essential.
"I think the city really has to commit themselves to bringing the aboriginal community in, politically and economically," said Pin.
Heyck agreed, pointing out an aboriginal cultural centre was one of the popular picks at the open house.
"The aboriginal community in Yellowknife is a huge component of our community and I think we have some work to do in better celebrating aboriginal culture in Yellowknife," said Heyck.
"It happens in certain pockets of the community but it's not necessarily visible in the core of our community and I think that would be a good option."
Heyck also confirmed that the less popular suggestion of building a new city hall in the space was not brought forward or considered by council.
With the last day of the open house coinciding with a point-in-time count for the city's homeless population, held in the 50/50 lot, Heyck said seeing the lot full of people from all demographics offers hope for seeing that space revitalized.
"It struck me, in some ways how easy it is to actually bring a lot of life and vitality to that space specifically and to the downtown in general," said Heyck.
"We set up something that attracted people to the area and people came in droves from all segments of our community, and I think that bodes well."
He added a report from the open event, as well as meetings held with stakeholders, will be brought before council in the next two to three months with recommendations.
