The public had its say last night (Tuesday) on what the future of the downtown-waterfront area might look like.

Consulting firm Brook McIlroy has been hired by the city to make a recommendation and it’s proposing three options to the public.

Option 1 is called Oak Park, but it includes the cost of a road connection between the downtown and the waterfront.

It would be more expensive than option 2 Central Park which calls for a walking or cycling connection.

Urban planner Calvin Brook says there are some common features in each of the options, including a splash pad, an indigenous gathering place and opportunities for development.

The difference is where the various amenities are going.

The splash pad, for example is proposed for near the Discovery North Bay Museum, but also for the Waterfront.

One proposal calls for a skateboard park and a basketball court, while another calls for a playground equipment area.

Another proposal is to make Oak Street a two way street.

All three options, including the Pier option, calls for a restaurant on the waterfront.

The event was well attended with over 40 people offering suggestions on which plan they like and ways it could be improved.

As for public reaction, John Cerisano says there’s wasn’t much information in any of the options on Lake Nipissing’s involvement.  He suggests a ferry to the Manitou Islands or temporary docking facilities on the waterfront.

Edna Scott chose one recreation area over another.  She says a youth park trumps a children’s park for her.

Meantime, Scott says she’s not against development, but she doesn’t want to change the waterfront to any great degree.

She says each of the plans shows a large private sector right in the middle and the idea of a four-storey building in the middle of the development, “I don’t think any of us liked that.” 

 

master plan