Downtown Neighbourhood Plan
Downtown St. John’s is a vibrant neighbourhood, recognized and appreciated for its unique and colourful residential neighbourhoods; its walkable business corridors; its popular arts and entertainment scene; its working port and cruise terminal; its unique collection of heritage buildings; and more recently, its world-class culinary offerings, among many other things.
Like much of the province, however, Downtown has been experiencing change:
- Economic and business activity has wavered;
- Many companies have relocated to other parts of St. John’s, leaving behind large, empty office spaces in the downtown area;
- Retail storefronts are struggling to compete with online shopping, hybrid retail, and the ever-present challenge of big box development;
- Businesses in general are facing a new reality as employees adopt working from home or other alternate live/work scenarios;
- Long-term social changes due to COVID-19, such as increased awareness of hygiene and social distancing, have created challenges in the current compact urban environment;
- There is a need to respond to impacts of a changing climate and improve the resilience of new and existing buildings, roads, and stormwater management infrastructure to extreme weather.
These challenges, among others, raise some big questions: What does all of this mean for Downtown? How do we tackle these concerns and ensure that Downtown St. John’s remains a desirable place to live, work, invest, and play in the future?
Finding the answer to these and other challenging questions is part of this Neighbourhood Plan.
The Downtown St. John’s Neighbourhood Plan will focus on the area highlighted on the following map:
Downtown St. John’s is a vibrant neighbourhood, recognized and appreciated for its unique and colourful residential neighbourhoods; its walkable business corridors; its popular arts and entertainment scene; its working port and cruise terminal; its unique collection of heritage buildings; and more recently, its world-class culinary offerings, among many other things.
Like much of the province, however, Downtown has been experiencing change:
- Economic and business activity has wavered;
- Many companies have relocated to other parts of St. John’s, leaving behind large, empty office spaces in the downtown area;
- Retail storefronts are struggling to compete with online shopping, hybrid retail, and the ever-present challenge of big box development;
- Businesses in general are facing a new reality as employees adopt working from home or other alternate live/work scenarios;
- Long-term social changes due to COVID-19, such as increased awareness of hygiene and social distancing, have created challenges in the current compact urban environment;
- There is a need to respond to impacts of a changing climate and improve the resilience of new and existing buildings, roads, and stormwater management infrastructure to extreme weather.
These challenges, among others, raise some big questions: What does all of this mean for Downtown? How do we tackle these concerns and ensure that Downtown St. John’s remains a desirable place to live, work, invest, and play in the future?
Finding the answer to these and other challenging questions is part of this Neighbourhood Plan.
The Downtown St. John’s Neighbourhood Plan will focus on the area highlighted on the following map:
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Share What do you love about Downtown? on Facebook Share What do you love about Downtown? on Twitter Share What do you love about Downtown? on Linkedin Email What do you love about Downtown? link
What do you love about Downtown?
10 months agoCLOSED: This ideas has concluded.Beverly Batten11 months agoOcean View and Access
Enact immediate height restrictions on all building development. It has taken away our ocean view and replaced it with half empty buildings. Office space is utilized only part of the day, homes are used all of the day. Take down that fence. Unnecessary, ineffective, isolating and ugly. As one of the oldest seaport in North America St. John's offers its residents and visitors an experience that doesn't exist anymore, access and a view of the most pristine sea. The overdevelopment of cities has taken away the access for its citizens to enjoy the sea. Here we have a little remaining. Let us use it.
0 comment2buffyhowse11 months agoProximity to and views of the harbour and Signal Hill
0 comment2AimeeS11 months agoQuirky
I love the mix of shops and people downtown. I love having a conversation with a shop owner when I'm making a purchase, checking out some art in a window, or nodding to a person on the street. Downtown has small town character that should be nurtured and enhanced.
0 comment1Daphne Crane11 months agoTo improve
Maintain Syme's Bridge Parking garages on the edges of downtown with adequate and frequent transport to downtown Keep City operated Parking garage on waterfront open for longer hours, especially when pedestrian mall is open, and when the are activities at MB Centre, etc Keep in mind some people know what they want to get, and just want to go to one shop to pick up one or two items and leave. They are not interested in spending 2 or 3 hours to do this. Keep in mind that not everyone is mobile and can walk long distances, they should still be able to access downtown businesses The Harbour is a working Harbour. There are ships coming and going regularly and they need space to do business More signs for visitors on how to navigate downtown, ie Rawlins Cross, no exit going north on Garrison Hill, etc where to find major attractions: Terry Fox, War Memorial, MB Centre, etc. Double or triple taxes for land owners who let their building deteriorate or otherwise discourage owners who do not to upkeep their property. Place hefty fines for littering, including cigarette butts. Enforce laws that are already in place. Place a surcharge on disposable coffee cups, with money going to clean up after people who believe they have the right or obligation to litter.
0 comment0Jen Anderson11 months agoI love the locally owned shops and restaurants.
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Share What is your vision for Downtown St. John's? on Facebook Share What is your vision for Downtown St. John's? on Twitter Share What is your vision for Downtown St. John's? on Linkedin Email What is your vision for Downtown St. John's? link
What is your vision for Downtown St. John's?
10 months agoCLOSED: This ideas has concluded.Jen Anderson11 months agoWaterfront Development
Our harbour is beautiful but harbour drive is a wasteland of cars and metal fencing. Our harbour-front needs a plan to draw the community and the tourists (physical and social development).
0 comment7StJosephs11 months agoToo often we look west (Canada) for ideas on how to improve our city. Europe has figured this out. Look there and definitely NOT Halifax
Look East
0 comment1sb1311 months agoBaseball diamonds should be multi-use spaces
In the summer the baseball diamonds around downtown are usually busy with people playing ball and that's great. But baseball season is brief and for most of the year, the space is off-limits and locked up. This is a wasted opportunity. Open the ballparks up to dogs in the winter. (This is especially important given how impassable so many of the sidewalks are in winter!) People with small dogs are jumping over the fence so the only people who are deterred by the padlocks are those with mobility issues and much larger dogs.
0 comment1troake12 months agoIncrease public transit access/frequency and start removing parking.
People tend to think downtown doesn't have enough parking. In reality, it has too much parking. Parking is wasted space that could be allocated to services, entertainment, and residences. In increase in public transit frequency and service around the city WILL reduce vehicle traffic and increase pedestrian traffic (this is the goal for a city center).
0 comment5TLR12 months agoFewer Cars. More Bikes. Way More Walking. More Trees.
Provide incentives for businesses to open downtown locations to provide necessities, like groceries, so residents don't have to leave downtown to stock their homes. Get rid of on street parking. Provide public garages for visitors to the downtown and city-owned garages for residents to use year round. Getting the cars off the streets will allow for bikes and pedestrians in the summer and snow-clearing of sidewalks in the winter. Evolve the downtown for people, not cars. Add things that people enjoy like plants, trees, and places to walk. Make Duckworth and Harbour Drive one-way. Make Water Street pedestrian year round. Bring back the trolley cars. Plant trees.
7 comments25 -
Share How could we make Downtown St. John's easier to move around in? on Facebook Share How could we make Downtown St. John's easier to move around in? on Twitter Share How could we make Downtown St. John's easier to move around in? on Linkedin Email How could we make Downtown St. John's easier to move around in? linkCLOSED: This ideas has concluded.thnidan12 months ago
Active transportation + cycling infrastructure
There are no clear or easy ways to travel through downtown on a bike that connect with the T'Railway, Ft. Amherst, Cape Spear, Signal Hill, and other destinations. Wayfinding could be improved for active modes.
0 comment6jmsrbbns10 months agoFix water street west
Water Street west is massively overbuilt for the amount of traffic it receives. This creates a dead zone on the West end of downtown that is unsafe or unwelcoming to pedestrians and cyclists. Lane reductions, tree buffers, or even a green median would make the street more welcoming and reduce the chronic flooding issues in that area. This would also result in the activation of many constantly empty commercial properties, and potentially kickstart housing development in an area of downtown where there is plenty of space.
0 comment1JoshSmee11 months agoPut Water St. West on a "Road Diet"
Water Street heading west from Waldegrave is way overbuilt for the traffic volume, and super-hostile to pedestrians. We could do a lot to make the experience of crossing under Pitts Memorial less awful for people on foot or bicycle. Narrowing or removing lanes to add some buffer from traffic, getting rid of the slip lanes, etc.
0 comment5Ann12 months agoFewer cars and improved public transit. More taxi kiosks
0 comment6JoshSmee11 months agoOvernight bus routes
Perhaps this is a "move to" not "move within" answer, but it's bonkers that there are not late-night buses serving downtown - it's a huge safety isse.
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Share What would make Downtown more attractive to young people and young families? on Facebook Share What would make Downtown more attractive to young people and young families? on Twitter Share What would make Downtown more attractive to young people and young families? on Linkedin Email What would make Downtown more attractive to young people and young families? linkCLOSED: This ideas has concluded.JoshSmee11 months ago
Neighbourhood retail
One of the reasons my young family chose to live downtown is to have access to as much as possible on foot. Give us more! I would love to see commercial uses all through downtown, on the residential streets too, as it used to be historically.
0 comment3SH12 months agoMore support to downtown homeowners.
Offer support for cleaning up what is left behind from those experiencing addiction and the issues that coincide. There is zero assistance when you're left to dispose of dirty synergies yourself. It is a health hazard. Support the homeowners when dealing with violence from this population. Support those with addiction issues so they are not left to use in the streets or on the steps/backyards of homeowners. Offer assistance in beautifying the neighborhoods. Any incentives to create a greener/cleaner space would be helpful for both attracting future homeowners and keeping current homeowners. The City is ugly and it should never be.
0 comment2Kbh10 months agoMore walkable food shopping options. We have bakeries, butchers and corner stores. Need to be able to get produce without having to drive.
0 comment0hemeoj12 months agoPermanent Pedestrian Only Streets
This would encourage visitors and eliminate unnecessary traffic downtown.
1 comment7NB11 months agoProvide grants for small businesses + cap lease rates for downtown shops
Half of downtown shops are empty - it's sad but not surprising when you see some places being rented for $7-$10k a month! If there was a grant in place to encourage new businesses to open, this would be very beneficial
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Share What would make Downtown more attractive to seniors and people who want to "age-in-place?" on Facebook Share What would make Downtown more attractive to seniors and people who want to "age-in-place?" on Twitter Share What would make Downtown more attractive to seniors and people who want to "age-in-place?" on Linkedin Email What would make Downtown more attractive to seniors and people who want to "age-in-place?" link
What would make Downtown more attractive to seniors and people who want to "age-in-place?"
10 months agoCLOSED: This ideas has concluded.Ann12 months agopublic transit. More seating areas/green spaces
0 comment4Stjohnsneeds12 months agoAccessibility
Build high rise/apartments that have amenities inside or nearby. Have better public transport to and from the city that’s free that runs multiple times per hour
0 comment5TLR12 months agoServices, Shops, Convenience
A walkable downtown with grocery stores, doctors offices, parks, trees, clear sidewalks, people enjoying life. I want to be able to leave my home, walk to my appointment or the shop, see interesting things, talk to people who are out enjoying life and feel safe and energized in my surroundings. Maybe a downtown market. A park with a nice fountain in it. I don't want a lot of cars or concrete. I don't want to drive 20 minutes to the edge of town and then back again.
0 comment6frank11 months agomore affordable small living spaces.
This city is stuck in 1970s subural development processes.
0 comment1Jackieb11 months agoAccessibility and washroom facilities
Every business has a step up from the sidewalk which creates accessibility issues and trip risks. Aside from inside of restaurants there is no access to washroom facilities.
0 comment1 -
Share What is the biggest change or improvement that should be considered for Downtown St. John's? on Facebook Share What is the biggest change or improvement that should be considered for Downtown St. John's? on Twitter Share What is the biggest change or improvement that should be considered for Downtown St. John's? on Linkedin Email What is the biggest change or improvement that should be considered for Downtown St. John's? link
What is the biggest change or improvement that should be considered for Downtown St. John's?
10 months agoCLOSED: This ideas has concluded.mjphilpott12 months agoDowntown public building
The only public buildings downtown are basically unusable as public spaces - City Hall, the courts, etc. We will soon (mostly) lose Atlantic Place. St. John's needs a public building in the downtown core. It could incorporate a branch library, space for workshops, city services, visitor information, and more.
1 comment7jmsrbbns10 months agoIncentivize development of blighted properties
Some sort of vacancy tax is required to get commercial spaces back on the market at a fair rate. Landowners need to be forced to fix properties and get them rented, or sell them at fair market rate. Increasing population density through an easing of development restrictions will also help support more business development in the area.
0 comment0downtownie111 months agoEngage the right people in project planning
Just saw today on VOCM that "Pop-up busker performances will be taking place every Friday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m". I get that there's a tourist market to cater to in that time slot but what locals are you getting? Anyone who has a job or isnt on vacation is just never going to be able to avail of this. You got the day of the week right, but the time is god awful. The tourists will still be around at 6pm, but you're losing the local engagement who are the people we want to attract downtown 12 months out of the year. Does council not realize people have jobs?
0 comment0JoshSmee11 months agoCreate a proper public square at the bottom of Solomon's Lane
Pedestrian Mall aside, one piece of infrastructure that Downtown is really crying out for is a permanent public square. The City could (should!) purchase the parking lot at the bottom of Solomon's Lane (where movies are shown in Summer) and turn it into a permanent square. This would remove a point of conflict between parking and pedestrian mall use and create a gathering space for events, markets, seating, etc.
0 comment7Stjohnsneeds12 months agoBuild up and Closing cars
Build higher homes and Make many more areas pedestrian only.
2 comments5
Documents including What We Heard
- What We Heard Downtown Plan.pdf (753 KB) (pdf)
- Downtown St. John's Existing Conditions Maps (10.2 MB) (pdf)
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Background Documents
- Envision St. John's Municipal Plan
- Envision St. John's Development Regulations
- Envision St. John's Municipal Plan Appendices
- Our City, Our Future Strategic Plan
- St. John's Parks & Open Space Master Plan
- Bike St John's Master Plan
- St. John's Affordable Housing Strategy
- St. John's Healthy City Strategy
- Resilient St. John's Community Climate Plan
- Paid Parking Management Strategy
Lifecycle
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Public Engagement
Downtown Neighbourhood Plan has finished this stageJoin the discussion and help shape the Downtown St. John's Secondary Plan.
Attend an in-person public engagement session:
- Pop-Up Engagement – May 25, 11:30am-1:30pm, Atlantic Place Lobby (215 Water Street)
- Public Workshop – Wednesday, June 7 at 7 pm in the Foran Greene Room, 4th Floor, City Hall (10 New Gower Street)
If you are unable to attend the engagement sessions, use the tools on this page to provide your feedback or email your comments to engage@stjohns.ca.
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Feedback Under Review
Downtown Neighbourhood Plan has finished this stageContributions to this consultation are closed for evaluation and review. The project team will report back on key outcomes.
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What We Heard Document Released
Downtown Neighbourhood Plan has finished this stage -
First Light Community Feast
Downtown Neighbourhood Plan is currently at this stage -
Secondary Plan Being Drafted
this is an upcoming stage for Downtown Neighbourhood Plan -
Secondary Plan Released for Public Review
this is an upcoming stage for Downtown Neighbourhood Plan -
Approval of Secondary Plan by Council
this is an upcoming stage for Downtown Neighbourhood Plan -
Amendment to Envision St. John's Municipal Plan
this is an upcoming stage for Downtown Neighbourhood Plan
Key Dates
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23 May 2023
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25 May 2023
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07 June 2023
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21 March 2024
Important Links
Who's Listening
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Council Lead - Downtown St. John's
Phone 576-8243 Email oravencroft@stjohns.ca -
KO
Email kobrien@stjohns.ca -
Planner III - Urban Design and Heritage
Department of Planning, Engineering & Regulatory Services
ACEmail acashin@stjohns.ca -
Phone 770-5035 Email matthew@millsandwright.ca