'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
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.