FAQ

The project area includes the entire Churchill Square public realm bounded on the north and south by multi-unit, mixed-use buildings, on the east by the Terrace on the Square commercial centre, and on the west by Elizabeth Avenue.

Generally, public space refers to all of the outdoor elements that are publicly accessible in Churchill Square (within the project area). This includes sidewalks, streets, parking areas, green spaces, lighting, signage, and site furniture such as benches and waste bins.

Currently, the project is at the concept design phase. Should Council decide to move forward with this project, a detailed design would be required.

A concept plan is an early design document that explores the functional possibilities of a space, to see how areas of space could be used, and to understand the general layout of the public space. This includes areas of parking, drive-aisles, and sidewalks, as well as the general locations of intersections landscaping. Concept designs provide direction for the next step of detailed design.

While the plans and images in the renderings show a lot of detail at this stage, many features including curb ramps and tactile warning surfaces are not shown. These features will be included in the detailed design process based on specific survey information reviewed at that stage. Some features that are shown in the concept plan such as the type of tables, bike racks, or feature colours, may not be the exact products used. This phase of the project, and these plans and images, are the first step to understanding the re-imagined vision of Churchill Square.

• More pedestrian space and landscaping with expanded sidewalks along the buildings, the main pedestrian plaza area, and a new active transportation connection from Elizabeth Avenue to the Terrace on the Square entrance.
• A raised intersection in front of Terrace on the Square to calm traffic and improve pedestrian safety and accessibility while providing separate drop-off/pick-up lay-by space for Go Bus, deliveries, and passengers.
• Fewer drive aisles to reduce the footprint of vehicle circulation while still providing adequate access.
• Improved lighting.

Yes, there will be space for existing vendors and the City will discuss details of this as part of the next steps if the project moves ahead.

These renderings are meant to demonstrate a sample of potential events and/or activities the space could be used for in the future. Any event or activity hosted in the City goes through a Special Event Application process and must be approved by Council.

The plan changes how cars move around in the space to slow driver speeds and reduce potential conflict areas with pedestrians. The existing sidewalks are widened and there is more pedestrian area in the main plaza space. The crosswalk on Rowan place and the intersection in front of Terrace on the Square have also been raised to calm traffic and prioritize pedestrian safety and accessibility.  

Churchill Square is a central business area and providing parking for customers, employees, and visitors to the Churchill Park greenspace across the street is important. However, the concept plan does also envision some important changes to make the space more pedestrian, cyclist and community-oriented, with more outdoor amenities and improved accessibility.

The bike lane shown provides a connection between Elizabeth Avenue, which is a corridor identified in the Bike St. John’s Master Plan network, to a covered bike parking area in the main plaza and a traffic calmed route through the Square to Rowan Street.

Yes, we hope so. Churchill Square has been identified as a good candidate location for EV charging stations and the City is looking into funding sources to help make this happen. We expect that stations could be installed in the next couple of years. If the re-imagine project moves forward, installation of these stations would be coordinated with the construction.  

Private property owners ultimately determine for what purpose they use their properties, for example, grocery store, retail, office space, apartments etc. The City recognizes and supports the concept of complete neighbourhoods and Churchill Square is zoned Commercial Mixed to support a variety of business uses in the area.

Churchill Square has had a rich and varied history. Please feel free to visit Heritage NL's website for a comprehensive history (click here).