ByWard Market Precinct

Streetscape Infrastructure Programme

To repair the streets within the ByWard Market Precinct, the City should consider the following:

• Undertake a major reinvestment to the public realm of the Market's core area west of Dalhousie in keeping with its existing character. New courtyard spaces should be opened to link into and expand the existing system of courtyard spaces across the Market.
• Restore the historic small-scale neighbourhood streets in the Lowertown West Neighbourhood and the transition zone to the Market.
• A focus east of Dalhousie on a supportive public realm for residential intensification with more public green space and less surface parking.
• Dalhousie Street should continue to be treated as a Main Street with local and destination retail, services, restaurants and boutiques.
• Increase the level of secure bicycle parking across the precinct with a stronger focus in the traditional Market area.

Parks and Open Space Strategy

The lack of major green spaces across the ByWard Market Precinct is counterbalanced by the area's unique public realm, including linked, partially-greened courtyard spaces, the large Market area and smaller pocket parks on the periphery of the precinct. These well-cared for areas are the main meeting spaces for both residents and visitors. To complement these successes, the City should consider the following:

• Due to the success of the unique courtyard spaces, such as Tin House Court, this existing system should be expanded where possible. Internal areas should be reclaimed as public and/or semi-public spaces.
• Due to the limited quantity of softer green spaces in the ByWard Market Precinct, direct connections to adjacent green spaces should be strengthened.

Built Form Guidelines

West of Dalhousie, this precinct supports low-to mid-density with small-scale buildings allowing for multiple tenants, intense activity and diversity of use within a relatively compact area. Existing lower heights should be maintained at a scale that is compatible with the historic pattern of the area. Tight controls over infill buildings should be enforced as it is important that infill projects be in harmony with existing adjacent heritage buildings.

Complete use of the Market space including all lanes, alleys, courtyards and interiors of the block spaces should be encouraged. Infill projects should support a very urban feel, with specific emphasis on the base of buildings, including main entrances and windows along the street. High quality urban landscape along building frontages and in courtyards should be encouraged. For the urban form of the courtyard projects along Sussex Drive, where the front and back of the building parcels are equal in use, design and finish are critical to the future success of the Market.

East of Dalhousie Street, there are significant opportunities for increased residential intensification. Within this area, residential infill and development should be a priority over new commercial developments. Focusing residential redevelopment opportunities in this eastern section will help to alleviate some of the development pressures in the heart of the traditional Market area. The core focus area for intensification should be within the blocks bounded by Dalhousie Street, King Edward Avenue, Clarence Street and Rideau Street. There may be potential for some new high-rise residential infill between Dalhousie and King Edward.

There are numerous development gaps fronting onto other key streets within the precinct, including Cumberland, Murray and St. Patrick. Such high profile sites offer an ideal opportunity for appropriate residential intensification at a lower scale. North of York Street, residential infill should occur at the scale of the existing neighbourhood along the edge of the block, while more intensive uses can exist in interior spaces.

The Market will continue to be one of the most visited and desirable urban areas in downtown Ottawa. It will also be the subject of robust reurbanization applications and intensification pressures. The public realm will require an extra measure of consideration to make the existing Market spaces better and to ensure that the evolving area east of Dalhousie Street contributes more fully to the Market's success.

14. Public Realm Design Competition

Targeted Precinct Strategies 14, 15, 16, and 17

The Market is one of Ottawa's most important tourist attractions and acts as a key component of the City's primary retail hub, drawing residents from across the region. This success has resulted in Market becoming one of the main civic images for the City of Ottawa. Consequently, it is critical that the quality of the market experience is consistently improved. This area must compete with the other offerings in Canada including Old Port Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax Harbour and Pier 21, Granville Island, Winnipeg's Forks project and Toronto's Harbourfront, Yorkville and Distillery District. All of these competing destinations are currently undergoing extensive investment in the quality of their public realms.

To raise the quality of the Market experience from a regional destination to a national one, and to extend the quality of recent projects, such as York Steps, further into the Market, the City should undertake a design competition for enhancements to the Market's public realm. The competition should focus on the core area of the traditional Market bounded by Sussex Drive, George Street, Murray Street and Dalhousie Street.

15. Byward Market Centre: Branding & Theming

Although the existing improvised design quality of the market stalls and adjacent spaces contributes to the character and bustling nature of the Market area, a more high profile and visible Market "brand" - in the form of a logo, standardized colours and fonts - would improve the overall appearance and create a more aesthetic and special environment for the core Market area. This could also be used to relate the Market more closely with Ottawa. Standards could be introduced for such design components as awning types and colours, font styles and display layout. Where possible, to ensure the authenticity of the area is maintained, environmental improvements should be undertaken using historically accurate designs and materials that reflect the informal ambience and vernacular character of the Market. Partners should include the City of Ottawa, ByWard Market BIA, ByWard Market Building Management Group and independent merchants and building owners.

16. Conversion/Removal/Remodelling of Byward Parking Structure

While the Market clearly requires parking to exist, this specific parcel is far too valuable to remain as an above-grade parking deck. This prime location in the heart of the Market should not be dedicated to parking. It should be identified as a future site for a major public building demonstrating the best in international architecture. This could become one of Ottawa's "must see" attractions. Parking could be accommodated below grade.

17. Heritage Restoration Programme: St. Patrick & Murray Streets, Parent & Guigues Avenues

To ensure that the area's historic character is preserved, the precinct supports two Heritage Conservation District designations. Although covered by heritage designations, large parts of the precinct require a major repair to the historic nature of streets and public realm.

St. Patrick and Murray are unique streets in the ByWard Market Precinct as they are tied directly to Ottawa's Parkway network and the bridges to Gatineau. This has resulted in these streets supporting higher than average levels of vehicular traffic. The volume and speed of traffic along these streets has in some places eroded the historic character of the area and inhibited quality new developments and infill. In addition, due to their current role as east-west throughways, these two important streets act as a physical barrier, isolating the adjacent Lowertown West Neighbourhood from the ByWard Market.

The City needs to improve the existing conditions on Murray and St. Patrick. It is important that these streets are repaired because they provide the contextual setting for the Market and delineate the residential neighbourhood from the commercial and retail focus of the Market.

To improve the quality of the environment along these routes, traffic calming is required. These streets would benefit from a co-ordinated programme of planting and landscaping, paving and street furniture. Where possible, to ensure the authenticity of the area is maintained and expanded, environmental improvements should be undertaken using historically accurate designs and materials.

Parent Avenue is very wide and out of scale with the surrounding predominately low-profile residential uses. The City should redesign the street to reduce the road cross-section, and then landscape the boulevard areas.

Guigues Avenue is the geographic transition line of the Market. It should be restored as a neighbourhood-scale street with street-related low-intensity housing.

18. Eastern Market Re-urbanization Area

Targeted Precinct Strategies 18, 19, and 20

The area east of Dalhousie Street and south of St. Patrick Street provides significant redevelopment opportunities at a very urban scale. This area, bounded by Dalhousie Street, St. Patrick Street, Rideau Street and King Edward, should be promoted as one of the core growth areas within the downtown. This location can take advantage of the high amenity provided by the Market to create a new urban neighbourhood. To ensure that re-urbanization is done in the most effective manner, the City should consider six specific directions:

• Preserve the Dalhousie Street frontage as a Main Street. Buildings along the east side of Dalhousie should maintain Market character and be two to five storeys.
• Transition into the neighbourhood of Lowertown West on the St. Patrick and Murray blocks.
• Develop a specific plan for the blocks from Murray to Rideau and encourage the preservation and reuse of the historic Rideau frontage in all redevelopment plans.
• Create a unique street-related open space image for York Street and George Street.
• Architecture in this area should exhibit very high quality urban street-related qualities.
• Streetscape improvements along Cumberland north of Rideau to complement those undertaken south of Rideau (targeted action #26).

The City should construct a working three-dimensional model of the entire Eastern Market Area, identifying available development parcels and suggested building typologies. This model will direct site-specific policies and guidelines for future developments. The model should contemplate the possible change in design of the primary streets.

19. Re-Image York & George Streets

Both York Street and George Street have a large right-of-way with various amounts of open space and surface parking. In limited scenarios, these are being used as café areas or courtyard entrances to buildings. York Street plays an important role by connecting through to the Capital Realm via the York Steps. The full potential of this high profile linkage has not yet been fully realized.

York Street and George Street east of Dalhousie should form the backbone of the public realm for the Eastern Market Re-urbanization Area. These streets have the potential to become unique garden streets to help offset the more urban qualities of the Market area west of Dalhousie Street. The quality of the York Steps should be extended eastwards along these streets.

20. Dalhousie as a Main Street

Dalhousie Street is the point of transition for the Market Precinct; to the west lies the densely built-out historic heart of the Market, while to the east is a less built-up area that has a number of vacant or under-utilised development sites and buildings of a larger scale. It acts as a transitional seam between higher density residential areas and lower density commercial areas.

Dalhousie Street needs to be reclaimed as a proud civic street that serves the needs of both local residents and visitors to the area. To achieve this goal, it is important that Dalhousie Street be reinforced as a Main Street. It will require that all new developments front onto the street, the removal of surface car parking lots, and a programme of streetscape enhancements including the introduction of soft landscaping. The existing scale of buildings fronting onto Dalhousie should be maintained.