The Government Street streetscape has not changed in over 50 years and now the city is seeking input on how to make it one of the best in Canada.
In a media release, the City of Victoria said it is looking for the public’s help with the Government Street ‘Refresh’ project to develop a long-term, pedestrian-focused concept design and implementation strategy.
Government Street has always been a popular location for both locals and tourists in the city.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the city made changes to try and help support the businesses, many of which were restaurants hit hard by restrictions as well as businesses who relied heavily on tourist traffic to survive.
Over the past year, Government Street saw periods of being closed to car traffic, allowing the restaurants to expand their patios to accommodate outdoor dining.
Recently, Government Street began timed closures closing the corridor to vehicle traffic between Humboldt and View Streets. From noon to 10:00 p.m. each day, the street is only open for pedestrians.
The 900 block of Government Street between Humboldt and Broughton streets remains open to vehicles 24 hours a day.
The Government Street streetscape has not changed in over five decades, so the project comes in time to replace many of the street’s elements (road signs, traffic lights, furniture etc.) that are nearing the end of their life and will soon need to be replaced.
The project hopes to build on the success of the city’s ‘Build Back Victoria’ program and support local businesses that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public engagement with the project and plans will work in three phases:
First, the public is asked to complete a short online survey and submit any written ideas, illustrations, images and videos at engage.victoria.ca. This form will be open for submissions until July 11th.
These submissions will be used to create a draft design concept for Government Street which will then be shared with the community for initial feedback.
Second, the draft will be revised based on community feedback. This draft will be shared in January 2022.
Finally, a final draft of the designs will be presented to Council early next year.
The project includes both renovations to street design as well as major upgrades to below-ground water services.
The public is asked to complete the short survey and submit ideas for the future design of Government Street online here by July 11th.
