Stoney Creek's Downtown: Part Nine, 'What to do, what to do?' The suggestions.

OK. 'The Plan'.

I'm going to proceed on the premise that this is my 'Downtown Stoney Creek Revitalization Fantasy League Project'. I'm not going to be discouraged by 'How would you make thathappen?!?'-type questions, but then, I'm also not going to pretend that I've become a kazillionaire and I'm making this into some hobby, no-expenses-spared. This is a studied, neo-whimsical take on the core question 'What could Stoney Creek's downtown look like?'

Here's my answer:

Phase I

-The entire block of King from Lake to Mountain Avenue is 'opened up'. That is, as it's mine to do with as I please, buildings are razed, accommodated, renovated, whatever. So all of this land is available for development.

-The 'Village Restaurant' block is 'reconfigured'. (A hint: there can't possibly be a need for both a variety and a 'stationers' across the street. Keeping in mind we're trying to make the most of our limited frontage.)

-McDougall's is no more. And its proposed use might be one of the biggest surprises of this indulgence.

-Elm Street Plaza is re-imagined entirely. The frontage is switched to King Street. While I understand why it was built this way all those years ago...facing a ravine, on a road that led to...well, nowhere but Lake Avenue and then back to King...in the context of making the most of a two-block 'downtown', this is an entirely wasted opportunity. So we'd have the storefronts on King, not Elm, right to the very eastern corner. Hand-in hand with this is the utilization of the parking and rear-access laneway that currently sits between the plaza and RBC. Oh, and what's lost in retail space...becomes parking. Oorah!

-The Royal Canadian Legion and the 'Veteran's Parkette' are relocated out of the downtown.Not sure where this would/could be, but as it stands, it seems that most/all the elderly that use the Legion have to drive there, so it really doesn't matter where their gathering place is, either where I'm being told one is going in (a community centre down where the old Arena is?), or maybe at Gray and 8, where the Skyway used to be, or behind the Dairy, as per my previous idea right here on this blog.

I realize that to some, this is heresy. Tantamount to me desecrating a flag or spitting on a war memorial. But I need to remind my Gentle Readers of the intent of this exercise: to maximize the Downtown's potential, making the most of a very, very limited 'main street' length. This property (which, I'll also point out, was originally a movie cinema and 'Stoney Creek Cycle and Sports', and so is hardly 'sacred ground') constitutes a sizable piece of invaluable King Street frontage. In relation to the potential impact the right tenant(s) could have on the Downtown, its current function is, while noble and deserving of respect, inappropriate to that cause. And to be honest, the idea of it remaining there, the lynchpin in the social construct of the town, besides smacking a little too of 'Change is Bad' for my tastes, goes right to the heart of the previously-referenced 'Ought To' syndrome. Which to my way of thinking has enabled Downtown Stoney Creek to remain pretty much the same for decades...which in a way is one Hell of an accomplishment, but seriously; what are we attempting to establish here; a museum?

This allows for twelve to fifteen open slots, twelve to fifteen instances where innovation and improvement sit waiting to be initiated.

Suddenly you've got incredible room to work with.

Phase II

I'm sorry I can't turn this into a multimedia fest. I don't even have the ability to put numbers on the satellite photo of Downtown Stoney Creek. But maybe my powers of description...and your big brains...will suffice.

What I've done is kept some of the 'old' (a few of these strictly out of obligation and a muted sense of tradition), and brought in a mix of my hunches as to what might work. These hunches aren't based on 'Well, looking at what we've had here for fifty years...' They're based on my assumptions about who lives within the Primary Catchment Area, combined with assumptions about the peripheral area on the same level, combined with assumptions about visitor trends, market trends, lifestyle trends. I've tried to create a sensible (hopeful?) synergy, grouping vendors where applicable, and keeping others apart...when advisable.

Let's begin at the north-west corner of the downtown, at King and Lake, where 'Young's Convenience' currently sits vacant. I've chosen to see this property as the new home of a Dry Cleaning and Laundromat

Crossing Lake Avenue and heading east towards Mountain Avenue North:

-Bike Shop, also doing skate sharpening and racquet stringing.

-Outdoors shop, in the mold of 'Adventure Attic', 'Backwater Trails', or 'Mountain Equipment Co-op'.

-Health food store, in the mold of The Horn of Plenty in Dundas.

-Grocery store.

-Produce and Fruit Store, in the mold of Kin's.

-Butcher. Organic and local.

-Bakery/Catering.

-Wine store.

-Barber.

-Drug store, in the mold of Rexall, or something smaller.

Crossing Mountain Avenue North:

-Chippy's. Back to where it began...and belongs.

-The Village Restaurant.

-Travel shop.

-Women's Clothing Boutique.

-Florist.

-Comic shop

-Juice bar.

-Pizza and Pita.

-OTB

-Pub. (This is where McDougall's has been since forever.)

Crossing south on King Street:

-Canada Trust

-Coco Mazzi Salon Spa

Crossing Elm Street (Remembering that the current plaza has been replaced) and heading west towards Lake Avenue:

-Elm Grocery and Deli.

-Tailor and Alterations.

-Shoe Repair and Keys.

-Thai restaurant.

-RBC block

-Fashion store, in the mold of 'Gap', 'Old Navy', 'Urban Outfitters'.

-Queenston Stationers.

Crossing Mountain Avenue South:

-Kingmount Pharmacy.

-Dr. Boutros.

-Young Drivers of Canada.

-O'Brien, Skirtch and Thatcher, lawyers and RMT.

-Bookstore, in the mode of Nicholas Hoare...with a coffee bar.

-The Fox, in the mode of the Commodore Theatre in Portsmouth, Virginia, a 'dinner cinema'. (More on this, below.)

-Tim Hortons.

-Ora Medispa.

-Village Green Denture Specialist.

-Chestnut Tree Footcare and Orthotics.

The Fox Cinema.

This is the jewel in the new Downtown Stoney Creek crown. This isn't merely a resurrection of the 'old' Fox name. This is a reinvention. It is a 'dinner cinema'; in the same way that 'dinner theatre' serves meals in the same venue where a production is presented, this facility allows you to watch a movie...while having a meal, a snack...or just munching on popcorn. The Fox would bring people into the downtown, creating traffic. It would cater to various customer profiles, from retirees, to families, couples, kids for weekend matinées, as well as a venue for students of all kinds. Of course, there's always opportunities for there to be additional tenants, such as The Regent Gala Theatre, which houses post-production facilities. It fare would lean more to 'art-house' films, retrospectives, classics...with the odd mainstream delight thrown in for good measure.

As for whether this would simply be a re-retrofitting of the Legion...while I'd much prefer to see a custom-built theatre, it's not necessary; what matters the most is how the inside is dealt with...as well as making sure that what can be done to improve the exterior, is done.

Parking

Two current elements change with this plan. 1) Lake Avenue to Mountain Avenue North opens up, and 2) with the Elm Plaza taking on a new configuration, there are more parking spots created. Always a good thing in a parking-deficient downtown.