Downtown Construction Pace Survey

We'd Like to Hear From You!

Downtown Renewal is about creating a place for everyone. Downtown Guelph is and will continue to be the heart of our city. We're working to improve and upgrade Downtown's roads, sewers, watermains, sidewalks, cycling facilities and streetscape to replace aging infrastructure and make our Downtown even more livable, workable, playable, and lovable.

While construction isn't starting until 2026, we're planning that construction now, deciding first on how construction will be phased (what areas and when), the pace of construction, associated impacts, and the costs. This detailed planning is being developed through a Capital Implementation Plan, which will help guide the work throughout construction.

Construction pace and phasing aren't all that we're planning to do to reduce the impacts of construction on area businesses, residents and visitors, but it is certainly one of the first and most important pieces.

We'd like to hear your voice in this planning process and your questions, comments, or concerns about Downtown infrastructure renewal.

In March of this year, the public and Downtown businesses were invited to provide feedback on options for proposed construction phasing, the pace of construction (fast or slower paced), and to share ways impacts can be mitigated. The feedback was taken into consideration to shape the Capital Implementation Plan further.

Please take a few minutes to complete this survey after reviewing the recommendations we've chosen haveyoursay.guelph.ca/downtownproject. All comments will be part of the project record (except for personal information). Your feedback is important and will be carefully considered to help shape the final recommendations to Council.

Capital Implementation Plan – What we heard

The following feedback shaped the Capital Implementation Plan:

Construction Pacing

Most participants supported a fast-paced construction timeline to ensure construction impacts and disruptions are over as quickly as possible.
There is support for longer construction workdays to complete construction quickly.

Construction Impacts and Mitigation

Minimize impacts on bus routes and schedules.
Find alternatives to impacted parking.
Keep cycling and pedestrian access open.
Reroute commercial trucks to construction areas.
Schedule construction activities around annual events.
Minimize noise and dust.

Feedback from Downtown Guelph Business Association

Find a way for businesses to "pop-up" in other locations as necessary and promote "shop local" events with gift cards and discounts.
Create curbside pick-up areas and temporary locker pick-ups to allow visitors to continue to support businesses without entering construction areas.
Add signs and wayfinding to get people where they want to go through construction.
Work with businesses on their parking needs.
Based on this feedback, the revised Capital Implementation Plan proposes the following order (or phasing) for construction activities.

Construction Priority	Street
Phase 0	Wyndham Street South (Farquhar St. to Wellington St. E.) Wellington Street East (Gordon St. to Wyndham S.)
Phase 1	Wyndham Street North (Farquhar St. to Woolwich St.)
Phase 2	Macdonell Bridge and Allan's Structures Macdonell Street
Phase 3	Quebec Street Yarmouth Street
Phase 4	Cork Street Douglas Street
Phase 5	Woolwich Street
Phase 6	Dublin Street North Northumberland Street Kent Street
Phase 7	Cardigan Street Norwich Street East
Phase 8	Norfolk Street Suffolk Street Commercial Lane Church Lane Thorpe Street
Phase 9	Wellington Street East (Wyndham St S to Neeve St)

Is there anything else we should consider as we finalize the order (phases) of Downtown construction? Please share any comments or ideas on improving the planned phases in the space below.

We're planning for construction to move along each phase at a fast pace. For Wyndham Street, that means construction is completed over two construction seasons. Please share any comments you have for us to consider as we move into a more detailed approach to the construction plan.

We're preparing other plans to reduce the impacts on Downtown businesses and residents during construction. If you have any early thoughts as we begin this work, we would love for you to share them below.

If you have any further thoughts or feedback on the construction planning or any of the design or streetscaping components that can inform our upcoming detailed design, please use this space to share them with us.

Getting to know you

If you have just a few more moments, we would appreciate getting to know you a little better. These questions are optional, but knowing more about you will help us to understand the feedback and trends within the community better.

Please identify if you are: (select one)

Downtown Guelph resident

Guelph resident living outside of the Downtown

Student

Business owner or operator in the Downtown

Business owner or operator outside of the Downtown

Live outside Guelph

Other (please specify)

Have you been aware of this project before today?

Yes