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PASSIONATE ABOUT PRESTON STREET
The Ottawa Citizen - June 15, 2001 - Stroll down Preston Street in the heart of Little Italy and you can see signs of a renewed dolce vita on one of the city's busiest and most famous thoroughfares.
New outdoor patios are springing up, more retail stores are planned, a light-rail stop is in the works for the area and a recently opened loft apartment building is adding a different residential mix. Long-delayed development of Lebreton Flats is expected to be a boom for businesses on Preston Street and a steel and granite arch spanning the street at Carling Avenue will give a distinct European flavour to the predominantly ethnic area.
The hope is that a more vibrant street will entice visitors to come on a regular basis and is one of the reasons Preston Street merchants contributed about $160,000 for the archway.
"It will be a landmark for Little Italy," said Mario Giannetti, owner of Preston Hardware.
"We are also trying to get different types of services for the community and to draw new people."
This is the busiest time for Preston Street as Italian Week festivities continue until Sunday. The street will be closed to automobile traffic during the evening hours this weekend.
Peter Harris, executive director of the Preston Street Business Improvement Association, said the street is not undergoing a rejuvenation, merely a broadening of existing retail and transportation services.
"It's a solid street, a strong return clientele, and a strong word of mouth. Certainly the new development is going to give it a new image," he said.
He's buoyed the fact the value of homes in the area has increased in recent years, and more residential units are coming to the neighborhood. In addition to a loft building on Beech Street, another apartment building is proposed for the corner of Preston and Sidney streets.
"The arch will be tastefully done and will fit in the with the rest of the street, but what attracts people to the area is the cultural aspect and the quality merchandise and food. That's what Preston has."
Most merchants agree that once LeBreton Flats is developed, tourists will be flocking to Preston Street for shopping and meals. That is why there is a push to diversify the retail makeup of the street with Italian shoe stores and clothing shops. Getting to the area will also be helped by the construction of a light rail stop along the railway tracks behind the Dow Honda dealership on Carling Avenue.
One of the more exciting developments planned for Preston Street and the adjacent Queensway overpass is the $70 million Preston Square project by Sakto Corp. The project has already won city approval and Sakto is ready to start digging. But a sluggish economy is holding back tenants from signing on, a company spokesman says.
The project calls for a sixteen storey office tower, a five storey building consisting of office space and ground floor retail, and a 105 unit loft apartment building on Aberdeen Street, plus an underground garage.
Joe Cotroneo, owner of Pub Italia, said the changes being proposed for Preston Street are going to be good for the area.
"It is certainly starting to move in a positive direction, but I don't think it's going to happen overnight," said Mr. Cotroneo, whose experiment with an outdoor patio last year has paid off for his popular eatery.
"I don't think the city is ready to revamp the whole street like it has done with other streets. Maybe a couple of outdoor patios will open up so that owners can see the positive effects, not just for their business, but for the street. Once you change the landscape on the street, it becomes more people friendly."
For more information on Sakto, or this press release, please email info@sakto.com.
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