The future of William Street is under scrutiny by many business owners as the busy road is set to close for vehicle traffic and turned into a pedestrian-only area for good.
During a meeting Tuesday with the ByWard Market District Authority, business owners raised concerns over parking and crime with the street closed all year.
“When the street is shut down in the winter, there’s not the possibility of police vehicles going by and also there’s less traffic because it’s closed so there aren’t enough eyes and it makes for extra problems,” said Khalia Scott, owner of Eclection on William Street.
The road is being permanently turned into a pedestrian-only street as part of a $20 million deal between Ottawa and the province to help revitalize downtown.
“Loading will still happen, drop offs will still happen. It’s a functional area, it’s just not a main road as it once formerly operated,” said Zachary Dayler, executive director of the ByWard Market District Authority.
Dayler says the road will temporarily reopen over the next few weeks for additional loading and parking as a means of supporting businesses.
David Mangano, the owner of Grand Pizzeria, also wants to see the street kept open in the winter.
“I think it’s beneficial in the summer,” he said. “In the off months when there is nothing going on, it’s probably better to let the traffic through. It really comes down to programming and events and what’s going on in there. If there’s nothing going on in there, then perhaps it should be reopened.”
While the market has faced its fair share of challenges, from crime to homelessness and a lack of parking, the ByWard Market District Authority is moving forward with a new strategy to promote the area.
“What we’re trying to do with the new marketing campaign is highlight the wonderful things that are going on down here so we can start on the bottom and build our way back up,” said Deek Labelle, board member and general manager of Chateau Lafayette.
Labelle pointed to the opening of History Ottawa, a new music and entertainment venue that is set to open next year.
“They’re planning 150 to 200 shows a year and that’s 2,000 people,” Labelle said. “They have to go somewhere, they have to park somewhere, they have to eat somewhere, they want to shop. All those things are going to help play into that and we need to be able to leverage that.”
The hope is that more people will also mean more business.
“The bottom line is people attract people. The more foot traffic we get, the better that would be for an increase in sales in all the businesses,” Mangano said.
