Is James Street Pub located in Centretown or in “South Central?” The protesters stationed outside last night demanded the retention of the century-old name while condo developers and their supporters threw a party inside the pub to herald the “launch” of the new moniker.
Toronto developer Urban Capital Property Group’s effort to rebrand the area – albeit with a chicer twist than the Los Angeles ‘hood of the same name – has been underway for some time and has already seen downtown blanketed with ads emblazoned with the new name.
The logo “South Central” would apply from Catherine to Somerset streets along Bank – the area around the developer’s new condo buildings.
The protesters, armed with drums, a megaphone, and other noisemakers, tried to stop the party. And their disruption was about much more than the name. They said the raising of swanky condos will turn the area south of Somerset into a sort of playground for the rich.
“Part of the rebranding strategy is the erasure of the community that already lives here,” said Priscillia Mosher of the anti-poverty group Under Pressure. “Condo companies will buy property in places where poor people live because the prices are cheap and then they’ll rebrand the entire community, pushing out the poor community, and just calling it their own.”
With South Central, “Rebranding is a marketing strategy on their part,” she said.
David Wex, a partner with Urban Capital, said the area under development has been barren for years – something protesters say is a harsh blow to the neighbourhood – and they are trying to give the area a name.
“Our intention was to give it a brand of its own,” he said, which he described as “cool, vibrant, and fun.”
Wex said he is not sure how they are pushing out the poor. They are taking over, not homes, but parking lots to build their condos.
Karolina Craig of Urban Capital said she pitched local businesses the idea and they were generally in favour of the (re)branding. It’s free advertising, she said. Plus, phase one of the complex is already filled with tenants and the company has racked up plenty of sales for the other phases. More people are coming into Centretown and discovering nearby businesses – something that was very attractive to the local BIA.
Some local businesses along Bank Street have put up stickers on their windows supporting the name change – or have at least let the developer slap them on their storefronts.
The South Central Ottawa website – an attempt at a hip marketing campaign – even profiles some local businesses, but not all support the rebranding.
“It’s a little bit pretentious and it’s not really something that defines Centretown,” said Briana Faubert, manager of the Herb & Spice Shop, in an interview. The condo company, she said, is trying to give the neighbourhood a fancier twist, taking away the identity – or the brand – the community has developed. The Centretown brand is one of diversity, she said, meaning the new “South Central” logo just doesn’t fit.
But Faubert is not against the raising of low-rise condos in her neighbourhood. Local businesses will see an influx of new customers, she said, but still, the condos are targeted toward the wealthy so small businesses geared toward “alternative lifestyles” might not thrive.
The Bank Street BIA has since dropped its support for the South Central brand.
Wex said Urban Capital will survey local businesses a second time, again asking if they support the brand. If they don’t like it, the company will drop it. But it’s a matter of finding out if there is a genuine community-wide disagreement or if there is just a very vocal minority who oppose it. “It was meant to be a community bonding thing,” he said, “Not a community division thing.”
One protester crashed the party, insulted the “yuppie” guests, and was quickly detained by police.
Another Toronto firm is looking to rebrand the neighbourhood. Lamb Development’s condo tower is slated for completion in 2015. They want to rename the surrounding area after the complex – South on Bank, or SoBa, for short.
But James Street Pub is outside SoBa’s boundaries, so if someone asks you where to find it, you still have two choices.