What about us? Core business districts feel left out of $48M Downtown Plan

The Old East Village BIA says the city’s Downtown Master Plan must have a broader focus to include all core area business districts.

A 44-page report written by Old East Village BIA Executive Director Kevin Morrison makes several recommendations to enhance London’s Downtown Master Plan before it’s considered by council’s Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee (SPPC).

Morrison’s report titled “Beyond Downtown: Building a Stronger Urban Core for London” argues that the Downtown Plan must be part of a broader Core Area Strategy, and that addressing homelessness and public perceptions about safety must be prioritized to ensure future investments are successful.

“You cannot focus specifically on downtown,” Morrison told CTV News. “There’s no criticism of the consultants because that’s what they were asked to do, however, [council] needs to look at the core as a whole because [core neighbourhoods] are all intertwined. They’re all connected.”

He believes a broader strategy should be overseen by a Core Area Leadership Table that would include representation from Downtown London, Midtown, Old East Village, SOHO, Hamilton Road, and Wortley Village.

“I think it’s time we all came together at the table, and not just [be] listened to, but heard,” he added. “There’s a plan there, so now we have to work together on how we’re going to implement it.”

A letter from the Midtown Community Organization raises similar concerns about the focus of the Downtown Plan.

“We believe revisions are much needed so that the broader Core Area is meaningfully included in the actions of this plan,” it reads.

Midtown represents the commercial and residential area between Downtown London and the Old East Village.

Its letter goes on to recommend, “We note that the [Downtown] Plan proposes the creation of a Downtown Office and a Downtown Revitalization Authority (DRA). We recommend that these be established instead as a Core Area Office and Core Area Revitalization Authority, with a mandate to coordinate implementation, investment, and accountability across Downtown, Midtown, and Old East Village.”

Meanwhile, Morrison believes the Downtown Master Plan should prioritize improving perceptions about safety and security.

His report argues that the homelessness and drug crises are not solely a social services issue, but are also an economic development issue that will require long-term revitalization efforts to balance compassion, support services, treatment options, public safety, accessibility, and accountability.

“If you don’t address the problems that are there, you’re not going to be able to move forward with the Downtown revitalization plan or the (citywide) economic development plan as well. It’s not going to happen. People have not got the confidence to come down to the core area with the street-level crisis that we have right now,” he explained.

Morrison’s report and the letter from the Midtown Community Association are among several communications sent by stakeholders.

The new Downtown Master Plan is titled “Downtown Reimagined: City of London Downtown Plan” and includes 18 objectives and 58 phased actions that will cost about $48 million over the next decade.

In April 2025, Council approved spending $415,000 to have the Canadian Urban Institute prepare the new plan.

According to an accompanying staff report, the goal is to, “guide future investment, public realm improvements, housing growth, economic development, programming, and downtown activation.”

Downtown Reimagined recommends four so-called “big moves”:

• Developing a ‘River District’ at the Heart of the City
• Elevating Downtown London’s Key Public Spaces
• City of Music Canada
• Establishing a Nimble Downtown Governance Structure

The Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee will receive a presentation on the new Downtown Master Plan on June 16.