Design Commercial - Downtown Reimagined!
Project Updates
We have some exciting news! The Design Commercial Concept Plans for an enhanced public realm were endorsed by Council during the June 20th, 2022 Council meeting! The project team would like to thank everyone that has helped us get to this important project milestone. Through your input and feedback, we have been able to present a concept design that reflects the wants and needs of the community.
In addition, Council has directed staff to include the Design Commercial Implementation Plan as part of the 2023-2027 Budget deliberations. As part of the presentation to council, the 3D rendered fly-though video linked below was unveiled! You can click here to view the meeting agenda which includes the full report to council or here to view the full Council meeting (the Design Commercial presentation begins at approximately the 1:00:40 mark).
The following documents are also now available for viewing under the 'Documents' tab:
- Design Commercial Final Report *NEW
- Design Commercial Concept Plan (high resolution) *NEW
- Proposed Commercial Street Cross Section
- Design Commercial Phase 2 Consultation Summery Report
Downtown is the heart of Nanaimo. It is the traditional meeting place, commercial centre and transportation hub for our community. Commercial Street was recognized as one of the Great Places in Canada due to its mix of historical buildings and lively commercial activity.
The City has made significant investments in Commercial Street over the past 10 years with the construction of the Vancouver Island Conference Centre, securing the new Marriot Hotel and acquiring key redevelopment sites at Commercial and Terminal Ave.
While Commercial Street has many positive attributes, the public realm has become tired and there is an opportunity to refresh this important area of downtown. This project will develop an action plan to enhance the public realm space on Commercial Street. The action plan will incorporate the needs of local businesses and enhance opportunities for community events. Features such as public art, surface finishes, street trees and lighting will be reviewed through this process.Design Commercial is relying heavily on an engagement process which has included meetings, walking tours, interviews, and design studio open houses with public participants, key stakeholders, Mayor & Council and City staff.
Engagement outcomes are being used to develop and evolve ideas into design options which will be integrated with the technical aspects of the design process to produce the final master plan design elements.
Phone 250-756-5321