'Now is the time': Dundas East strip makeover looming
The Del-Mar restaurant on London’s Dundas Strip is a central reflection of the area it surrounds.
“The look we have here is ‘dated authentic.’ The Del-Mar remains in a time capsule,” states co-owner Leo Nikas.
Much of the Dundas East strip has a time-capsule charm, with signs and businesses taking visitors back to the ‘50s and ’60s.
It is a feature most don’t want changed as the city, the Argyle Business Improvement Association (BIA) and residents look to move forward with a core area improvement plan.
London city Councillor Shawn Lewis agrees.
“I don’t want to see the signage go, I don’t want to see our overall look or feel go, but I’d like to see it enhanced.”
London City Councillor Shawn Lewis on Thursday, June 24, in London, Ont. (Sean Irvine / CTV News)
Lewis represents the area of Dundas Street East being looked at in the report. It stretches roughly from Highbury Avenue through Clarke Road.
“When you look down this corridor it is very much a concrete jungle,” he contends.
And that’s what the city’s draft plan, in part, is looking to address.
It’s hoped the Argyle Core Area Community Improvement Plan will enhance the appeal of the strip to locals and visitors.
The report includes suggestions from city staff, business owners and the public.
Lewis says infrastructure renewal over the next few years to parts of the strip offers an opportunity to improve features including benches, green space and sidewalks.
However, the draft plan also calls for business incentives to spruce things up.
“I’d like to see the same kind of investments that we are making on Hamilton road, in Old East Village with those other BIAs around the city.”
The question remains if financial incentives and infrastructure changes are enough to give the strip a boost.
“I would actually say now is the time to start making a change in Argyle. I think this is a neighbourhood that is on the move,” argues Lewis.
Back at the Del-Mar, Nikas partially agrees, as he looks at a photo of Dundas East just before the creation of the strip in the 1950s.
Leo Nikas is co-owner of the Del-Mar restaurant on Dundas St. E. (Sean Irvine / CTV News)
“And the street is lined with trees. The whole street was lined with trees.”
While a tree-lined Dundas East may never be seen again, Lewis says it could be greener.
“A few trees, some planter boxes in the city space would go a long way to making it a more welcoming neighbourhood for people on foot.”
This fall, the public will have another chance to provide input into the Argyle Core Area Community Improvement Report before the city looks at its budget to fund it.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.