Orleans Weekly Journal
Published: Friday, November 21, 2008

Redeveloping the heart of Orléans

On most days, St. Joseph Boulevard is the route of choice for our commute into work. And I am struck by the irony of the Heart of Orléans Business Improvement Area (BIA) signs that are periodically posted on the lampposts.  If St. Joseph is the heart of our community, break out the defib machine and call 911, because we are long overdue for a coronary.  S

orry, but the street is a dull, gray and ageing eyesore which is an insult to citizens and reflects poorly on the hard-working merchants, entrepreneurs and restaurant owners who run their businesses along this strip.

Yes I know money is tight and no one wants to invest at this crucial time, but good gawd, the overhead wires, the sandwich board signs, raised sidewalks on the north side and the inability to safely turn at many times of the day are, in a word, pathetic.

To be fair, politicians and local business leaders have tried in the past to forge a consensus on what should be done but each time they have disagreed who should pay for what (between taxpayers and business owners) and/or they have failed to generate political will on council and at other levels of government to make revitalization of St. Joseph a reality.

At the risk of becoming a modern-day Sisyphus and being condemned to eternally roll a rock up the mountain only to have it fall back down again, we need to decide as a community whether we care or not about St. Joseph. If not, then let it rot away and enjoy the big-box hell of Innes Road or the numbing sameness of Place d’Orléans and happy mediocre, over-priced, same old-same old shopping to you too.

However, if you believe as I do that public spaces, a unique retail ambience and walk-friendly experiences add life to a community and visitors from outside, then we need to act.

To start, we need to pressure our local politicians – city, province and our MP – to raise this issue again as key driver in the local economic development list of projects. Next, we must acknowledge that taxpayers and businesses will share the cost of burying the electrical wires and roadway improvements.

As well, zoning designations may need to be changed to accommodate low-rise development on the boulevard in the long run. Three- and four-storey condo-style buildings with ground floor retail could be an option. And over the next decade to 15 years, demolishing some of the 30- and 40-year-old properties along this strip would allow for parking to be pushed to the back and storefronts to be situated street side.

Finally, thought should be given to passageways between the various strip mall retail/housing complexes so one could park near Jeanne d’Arc and actually walk to Orléans Boulevard somewhat sheltered from the elements. Ditto for Orléans to Belcourt.

St. Joseph could be the heart of Orléans, but right now it resembles a body part often associated with an extended trip to the bathroom.

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Comments can be sent to Walter Robinson at orleansouttakes@transcontinental.ca.