Wider sidewalks, limited parking coming for Elgin St.

CTV Ottawa: Elgin Street Makeover CTV’s Matt Skube has details on proposed changes to Elgin Street being presented at an open house at City Hall.

Dino Iafelice already has issues with parking on Elgin St.

"I do have reservations calling, saying 'hi, we're running late because we can't find parking' or 'hi, we're running late because there is no parking,'" he explains.

Things are going to get harder for the owner of Johnny Farina. A new design for the Elgin will feature wider sidewalks, cutting the street down to two lanes. It will eliminate a lot of parking and construction is expected to take two years.

"We've had other groups, other BIAs, telling us tighten your belt, it's not going to be a good ride," says Iafelice.

More trees and benches are expected to be installed. The city says it will be easier for people to use public transit and more restaurants will be able to do patios in the summer. Most people are on board.

"You only get about a foot and a half for two people, so it could be wider," one man says.

Somerset Councillor Catherine McKenney says they received over 600 responses to a survey asking people what they wanted to see on the street. The number one answer was wider sidewalks, to make the area more pedestrian friendly.

"For far too long, our main streets and Elgin in particular has really been about people travelling through and not coming to visit, not coming to stay," she says.

McKenney is working with businesses to minimize the impact. Construction is expected to start in 2019 and last for two years. The city is hosting an open house on Tuesday night. The final recommendation is expected to be presented to the Transportation Committee in April.