The Town of Okotoks is holding an open house to share more information about downtown construction that starts next year.
Construction in Olde Towne, on North Railway Street from McRae Street to Poplar Avenue, is scheduled to begin in 2025 and will take two years to complete.
Dubbed Downtown’s Next Chapter, an open house for the project will be held at Bow Valley College on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Residents can attend one of two drop-in style sessions: 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. or 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Those who can’t attend in-person can engage online from Nov. 13 to 26.
The Town said draft recommendations will be shared during the open house after businesses and residents gave feedback over the summer. It will be an opportunity to see updates, ask questions and share additional feedback.
Upgrades to the downtown area will include road and underground utility work and improvements to public spaces and streetscapes.
Work will take place in two phases, from Elm Place to Alberta Avenue first, and then from Alberta Avenue to McRae Street.
Sidewalks, boulevards and landscaping will be redeveloped to increase pedestrian safety and improve the downtown experience, and two parks in the area will be enhanced.
Mayor Tanya Thorn said public input is essential to the process and encouraged people to share ideas and feedback.
“Enhancing our downtown with more accessible, welcoming spaces that reflect our community’s unique spirit is an exciting opportunity for all of us,” Thorn said. “Together, we’re building a downtown we can all be proud of.”
A What We Learned Report on the plan was released last month, and found the main concerns people have include a disruption to customer access for area businesses, the loss of parking spaces and the long construction timeline.
Updates to Our Plan for Downtown, which replaces an Area Redevelopment Plan for the area and establishes policies for redevelopment of private and public spaces, will also be presented at the open house.
Over the summer, when asked if the vision, goals and guiding principles of the planned downtown improvements make sense, 67 respondents were in support, while 40 didn’t support the approach.
More information is available at shapeourtown.okotoks.ca.
-with files from Ted Murphy
