Don’t judge the street by the cover.
The historical pedestrian mall on one of Ottawa’s oldest streets adds an artistic vibe to the otherwise dreary office scene currently occupying much of the area.
It features many restaurants, independent shops, boutiques, banks, hotels and salons, and is home to plenty of festivals throughout the year, such as Latin Sparks, Ribtoberfest and Poutinefest.
There’s an abundance of opportunities for North America’s first permanent outdoor pedestrian mall.
Nevertheless, it’s failing.
Sparks Street isn’t sparking interest among Ottawa residents and tourists the way it used to.
Most shops and salons close before dinnertime and it’s only busy during festivals or weekday lunch hours.
But Sparks Street holds the potential to be as successful today as it has been in past years.
We need to stop judging it based on its current construction-ridden state and give it a chance to thrive.
Instead, we need to envision what it will look like in 2017, with thousands of tourists lining the streets to see one-of-a-kind events, such as the Red Bull Crashed Ice championship and Ignite 150.
The city expects to see an additional 1.75 million tourists for Canada’s 150th birthday, according to the Ottawa 2017 website. This means there will be plenty of tourists looking to get a unique Ottawa experience, all the while finding trinkets and buying maple syrup to bring home.
Let’s give them that experience on Sparks Street.
The governing agencies of Sparks Street, such as the Sparks Street BIA, the federal Public Works department and the National Capital Commission, are working towards making it a more attractive destination for shoppers, tourists and professionals alike.
Plans for redevelopment and construction are well underway on the street, aiming to make the area more enticing for retailers to set up shop and people to visit.
For example, Winners moved into the former Zellers location at 155 Queen St. and opened its doors late last fall.
Bier Markt, a restaurant offering a wide range of beer and beer pairings, opened for business late 2014 and has been consistently busy since then.
Transit is developing as well. The light rail transit line is expected to be operational in 2018 and will offer more stops in the downtown core and close to Sparks Street. This means it will be easier for people to travel to and from the area if they don’t drive in the future.
The possibilities are endless and the opportunities are building for Sparks Street.
So why the talk of closing it when so many things seem to be on the horizon?
The Sparks Street pedestrian mall has long been debated. Every five years or so, the idea comes up of scrapping Sparks Street and turning it into wide pedestrian sidewalks and a road, allowing for the core to be less congested from rush hour traffic.
But it doesn’t happen. It has never happened. And this time will be no different.
Tourists still visit the street and food lovers flock to the festivals.
People still care about it.
We can’t prematurely dismiss the street like we have so many times in the past.
This time has to be different.
There’s a reason it still exists as a pedestrian mall after almost 50 years of permanently closing the street to vehicular traffic in 1967.
That reason is because we realize the potential.
It’s located one block from Parliament Hill and close to historical landmarks such as the Rideau Canal, walking tours and museums. This is prime real estate, and it needs to offer visitors more to complement what is already there.
With Canada’s birthday celebrations right around the corner, this is the perfect time to revitalize Sparks Street.
Let’s keep Sparks Street a pedestrian-only mall.