By Pepper Parr
June 29th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Council will hear an update on the Civic Square and Brant Street renewal project that aims to visualize, design, and implement the renewal of Civic Square, City Hall Entrance, and adjacent streetscapes to contribute to a healthier and more vibrant downtown core.
Not sure how improvements to Civic Square will result in a more vibrant downtown; the plan seems to be that if we continually say downtown is vibrant it will become vibrant. The final preferred concept design is an evolution of Concept 2 – Atrium with modifications to include some design features from the other two concepts.
The project is now transitioning into Phase Three of the engagement plan that includes informing stakeholders and the broader community of the final preferred concept design and will continue through September 2024.
View from Elgin Street with 400 Brant restaurant to the right. It looks like the clock is going to be located at the entrance to the smaller parking lot.
The upcoming project schedule includes detailed design, permits and approvals from July 2024 to March 2025, tender period in February – March 2025, and construction period from June 2025 to June 2026.
The budget for the project is approximately $7.6 million, with funding from the Government of Canada, Government of Ontario, and the city. The Government of Canada is investing $1,984,900. The Government of Ontario is investing $1,653,917. The city has already committed capital funding of $884,744 with an additional $808,750 forecasted in the 2025 Budget.
Capital funding in the amount of approximately $2,365,000, to support changes to City Hall related to this project, was approved in the 2024 Budget.
A rendering showing what Civic Square could look like. The flag poles will be beside the entrance the City Hall.
Public Art
Through the City’s Public Art Program, LeuWebb Projects has been selected by a community jury of artists and arts professionals to join the project team. LeuWebb will lead the fabrication and installation of the public art, in consultation with the project team.
Next Steps
Next steps for the project team include:
- Phase Three engagement
- Advancing the preferred concept design through detailed design
- Discussions with internal and external stakeholders and outside agencies on key detailed design requirements.
A preference for the following design features emerged from the decision matrix:
- Overall preference for Concept 2 – Atrium, with a vestibule entrance as per Concept 3
- Focal points, double and single story, at Brant Street and James Street
- Focal point at Elgin Street
- Continuous canopies as per Concepts 1 and 2
- Size, configuration, and flow of Concept 2
- 50% parking reduction as per Concepts 1 and 2
- A variety of seating opportunities as per Concept 1
- Flag poles at building entry as shown in Concept 1
- Water jets as shown in Concept 3
- Trees and planting areas as shown in Concept 3
- Waves paving pattern as shown in Concept 1
The project team received a significant amount of useful stakeholder and community input over the course of ten months. With the presentation of this preferred concept design, the opportunity to influence the concept design is complete. Public participation will now focus on informing stakeholders and the broader community of the preferred concept design.
The preferred concept design will be available for review on Get Involved Burlington with promotion on social media. The project team plans to attend the Food for Feedback event in September 2024 to inform attendees on the preferred concept design.
Related news story:
Hi All
Everyone who has commented here is right on the money.
This is a disgusting waste of taxpayers money, and will only make them increase property taxes again and again.
What happens to maintaining various things that need to be done around Burlington. The City Council is making Burlington another Toronto wit all the high rise buildings, and taking away all our leisure space. Burlington properties are not that big, and our children need green space to get rid of their energy. Most of them play in the street which bothers me as people tend to speed down the roads.
We have a blind corner where we live in the orchards. I called the town and suggested one of those mirrors so drivers could see traffic coming from the other direction. The best we got was a solid yellow line. Bearing in mind that there is a crossing to the pathway going to Page Cres. No speed bumps for fast drivers. Speed limit is 40Kms.
Fix things like this and stop wasting our tax dollars.
Sorry to vent I just find it so sad that they don’t care about the Burlington residents.
Liz Swart
There should be an empty home/condo/rental property tax. There are a number of empty homes downtown that are not permanently inhabited. Numerous accommodations are being rented through the Condo ladies monopoly. While the supers in some of these questionable places are racist, misogynist, sexist perverts. Burlington needs a “Landlord code of conduct ” xxxxx This is necessary due to the fact that downtown is going to be condo central with the developers doing exactly what they want,with the mayors blessing.
Edited.
What lucky timing for this long-delayed project! It will be finished right during the election campaign for 2026. Shiny new civic square – do they think we won’t notice the ugly condos that will be surrounding it? Very expensive lipstick on a pig?
After delaying the digging and building of much of those condos until after the 2022 election, all the new buildings are coming. I often surmise that much of what happens at city council seems related to election timing first and foremost.
As Blair once used to wisely tell our mayor, there is a big difference between campaigning and governing. In my opinion, in Burlington, the campaigning never ends and the governing is a failure.
A previously elected council took care of the multiple safety issues due to failed brick work and non-complince with access legislation in their last budget of 2018. The cost over-run to have it all fixed up as a very acceptable Civic Square was provided from under estimated cost projects. The completion date summer 2019 meant the City was complying with legislation they know they must comply with, which they have been non-compliant with since at least early 2019. Just a few months into the present Mayor’s leadership. .
The lack of engagment in terms of the option that had gotten the go ahead from taxpayers and was a reasonable cost still being available rather than the “will of this council ” in early 2019 to scrap what met the legilative needs and had the public’s approval because the MMW led council found the design “underwhelming”, is something the public needs to repeatedly address at the next Committee of the Whole.
This is not engagement this is a Council’s will as opposed to the legislated needs and taxpayer design approval at a very much ballooned unnecessary cost that contributes to further increased property taxes. Taxpayers need to be loud and clear at the July Committee of the Whole and Council where is the option to go back to the taxpayer approved design that would take care of the significant issues we have with the Square at a much earlier date and at a much lower cost.
A lesson on classic Burlington citizen engagement – give three choices, none of which is “Simply and much less-costly remove the deteriorated brick and replace with a disability-friendly concrete floor and at entrances to aid mobility”. It would be the fourth concept.
Normally there should be a fourth choice “Do nothing” but we know the surface needs replacing for safety reasons. But Burlington never offers a fourth choice so Canadian, Ontario and Burlington taxpayers are now locked into this multi-million dollar show that will go on for years it seems. This is democracy?
The rationale that seems to predominate is that if the ‘reimagining’ of civic square does not take place, or at a much reduced price tag, then the proffered federal and provincial monies will be lost or discounted. So be it. There is but one taxpayer after all.
Those monies were not available when the need to redo our Civic Square was agreed to by the previous 2014 -2018 council who were ensuring compliance with Accessibility legislation and making the Square safe by removing the falls hazards. They were not available when the 2018 elected council cancelled the project as they claimed public inputted design was underwhelming when in fact engagement with taxpayers produced a very acceptable, safe, accessible design.
If Council wishes to change a decision they have made there MUST BE a rensideration motion put forward by a member of Council who voted for the project. Once council has changed due to an election there is no opportunity to reconsider the decision of a democratically elected previous council, especially a decision that was made to comply with legislation and address safety issues which are still prevalent and still will be up to 2026 with associated risk if this Council continues the path they are on.
2019 Rookie CAO Tim Commisso was on the record that Civic Sq was before Council only because it was slightly over budget when tendered. He assured council there was sufficient monies available from other underage costs of projects to complete the project without any deficit.
He is on the record early 2019 webcast that the 2019 Council’s will for Civic Square allowed staff to delay the project I.e not support a previous council’s compliance with legislation decision, when he, staff and council knew there was no option when it comes to compliance with legislation.council decisions must comply.The city is required by legislation to identify and remove barriers to access. They identified the barriers but this council has refused since 2019 to remove them as was agreed by the previous. Staff led by Mr. Commisso supported non- compliance with legislation which our legal Commissioner has continued to support despite the change at the helm and his knowledge that all City decisions must comply with legislation.
This is a very dangerous precedent that this council, staff and those reporting to our new CAO must surely understand. There must be the option available for a council vote that taxpayers can delegate or comment on at Council. Comply with legislation asap and give Civic Square the new life and compliance it and taxpayers deserve. This can be achieved by a motion for reconsideration put forward by anyone but Councillor Bentivegna who voted against not going ahead with the Civic Square revitalization with July 2019 completion date at around $1 million cost.
I fear that I have been unclear. I support doing what is needed to make Civic Square safe and accessible – but no more. If the City loses $$ from federal and provincial grants then that is fine by me because these funds are coming from my pocket too.
You were not unclear the initial plan did what was required to make it safe, accessible, cut down on ongoing required maintenance costs and ensure tree health and longevity as per our policies and no more. The current fountain remained as it should. We agree the issue of losing $$$ from federal and provincial tax dollars should not be part of any consideration as you are right they all come from the same pockets.
I thoroughly agree with the Editor on the questionable semantics of our ‘downtown’. I think that our communications people are stuck in a linguistic trench that is anything but “vibrant”. In an effort to be helpful – always my starting position though seldom that of my finish – I think an OED styled clarification is needed.
“Vibrant” refers to something that is full of life, energy, and enthusiasm. It describes a state of being bright, lively, and exciting.
Is this the Burlington downtown that you recognize?
Antonyms: Less charitable but more realistically descriptive terms that could be applied.
dull, dead, lifeless, spiritless, dispirited, listless, sluggish, drudging, humdrum, inactive, tiresome, apathetic, flat, lame, slow, soporific, unspirited, unstimulating, boring, characterless, dismal, dreary, banal, bromidic, dreich, fatiguing, insipid, wearisome, idle, , prosaic, unentertaining, uneventful, bland, featureless, soulless, torpid, uninteresting, unremarkable, wearying, drab, lacklustre,,, pedestrian, stagnant, tired, somnolent, tedious, unenjoyable, unexciting, vapid, asleep, languorous, mundane, plodding, stale, ho hum, mind-numbing
I trust that this is helpful and will expand the lexicon of our politicians and City staff in a constructive and beneficial way.
Of course our Burlington City Council would pick the most expensive and combined concept! To rebuild the actual entrance doors to City Hall is costing an
Extra $3 Million dollars to the project cost. (When none if this is needed at all).
Will City Staff now start working from the newly renovated City Hall That We as Tax Payers paid for instead of working from their homes remotely?
I don’t see anyone else that would actually use this hugely expensive space other than our Mayor and City Council for photo ops and the multiple Flag raising done by them daily and weekly, when they should all be doing actual City Hall work, which we as Tax Payers are paying them to do!
But Hey! Why would they give up their free air time and photo ops as a Free campaigning tool on our Dime!!
Raise corporate tax instead of residential