Beginning next month, Centretown will have a new “street-side spot” along Somerset Street West, where a parking space will be converted into a mini park.
The space, named Percy Station, will have a small structure for coffee shop pop-ups, seating and a green space.
Two Ottawa design companies, Jackpine Labs and Atelier Ruderal, partnered on the planning and building of the spot.
“The partnership came through mutual contacts,” says John McClelland, head of Jackpine Labs.
“We’re people interested in orienting Ottawa towards some cool things.”
Centretown is not the only neighbourhood building experimental “street side spots” in the city. Vanier’s Business Improvement Association and the Glebe Community Association both confirmed they are working on similar projects.
Jackpine Labs and Atelier Ruderal presented a rendering to city council in February. Using the parking space requires the planners to follow the rules laid out by the city. For example, the space outlined for Percy Station cannot interrupt the flow of traffic on the road.
Both teams say the location of Percy Station is very strategic for revamping the neighbourhood. The spot is close to where the Daily Grind used to be, which burned down in October 2015.
“The strip needed a space where people could come together,” says Lee-Michael J. Pronko, co-founder of Atelier Ruderal.
“Somerset is going through a huge overhaul. There are lots of empty store fronts. We’re looking at ways to reactivate it.”
For this project, the teams received funding from Awesome, a local chapter of the Awesome Foundation. The group gives away monthly grants to applications with ideas for the community.
Percy Station will be open for the use of the community. Musicians, artists and any kind of local groups wanting to use the space will be able to do so.
Among other prospective ideas is a bike repair station.
Essentially, the creators say it is up to Somerset residents on how they want to use it.
“The most important part is to emphasize cultural inclusiveness,” says Luisa Ji, co-founder and lead production designer at Atelier Ruderal.
“We really want people to participate in this whole conversation.”
For more information, including visual content, visit: http://www.atelierruderal.com/percystation/.