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August 2017 – ON THE WALL

Dear Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour,

1) ON THE WALL 2017!  HAPPENING NOW
2) Exciting projection of our ON THE WALL logo on Princess Towers. 
3) Nice Turtle Project piece by Joseph Cattana in Whig.
4) Waterkeepers honour David McDonald and Su Sheedy.
5) Free movie Labour Day Weekend – Skeleton Park – THE RED TURTLE
6) FYI: Montreal St. building issue

 
1) ON THE WALL ONCE AGAIN!

WHAT: See artists at work all this week
+ amazing participatory celebration on Saturday, Aug 26.

On Saturday, visitors have the opportunity to engage in all of the arts: helping paint on the wall,  improv, interpretive dance, poetry, singing along, trying out bag-piping, children’s activities, drumming, Zumba, as well as balloon art, face painting and physical fun including fighting with  broadswords, tai chi, Jiu Jitsu, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and great food trucks including Mio Gelato, Juicy Kik, Glocca Morra Grill and You Found Us!  Something for everyone at this great accessible family-friendly event. Supported by the Community Foundation.  In 2014, this event won the Kingstonist award for being the 
MOST EXCITING NEW ARTS EVENT OF THE YEAR!
  Hoping to replicate!

WHERE: Douglas R. Fluhrer Park, 2 North St. Kingston. 
To get there, go as far north as possible on Wellington St.

WHEN:  Artists are working daylight hours all week: Wed Aug 23 – Sat Aug 26
GRAND CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS, Sat Aug 26: 11 am to 4 pm
Official welcome from the mayor and appreciation of artists at t 1:30 pm..

 
NICE PIECES IN WHIG AND ON CKWS! 
Thanks Peter Hendra and Darren Davis!

http://www.thewhig.com/2017/08/21/artists-put-it-all-on-the-wall  http://globalnews.ca/news/3685505/on-the-wall-festival-celebrates-art-and-graffiti-in-waterfront-park/.

2) ON THE WALL logo projected on the east wall of Princess Towers
-every evening until 11 pm from tonight until the festival on Saturday!  
Thanks to Cody O’Neil of Forge Massive Marketing and Grizzly Grill!
A Kingston first!  Fun project. 
 
3) Lovely Turtle Project piece by Joseph Cattana in Whig.  
Thanks Joseph!

http://www.thewhig.com/2017/07/31/turtle-proponents-seek-scientific-support
 
4) Waterkeepers honour David McDonald and Su Sheedy.
Truly well-deserved!  Onwards and upwards!
http://www.thewhig.com/2017/08/11/guardians-of-the-waterfront?t=1&cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&refsrc=email&iid=c12a2fa0549c464c94a71af1fff01e5f&uid=789900955&nid=244+285282312

5) Free Movie Labour Day weekend – Skeleton Park – THE RED TURTLE

WHAT: Skeleton Park Arts Fest organization will be hosting a film screening in the park. The film will be The Red Turtle, an Oscar-nominated 2016 French-Belgian-Japanese animated fantasy drama film co-written and directed by Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit. More information about the film here: http://www.tiff.net/films/the-red-turtle/ or here: http://skeletonparkartsfest.ca/2017/film-screening-the-red-turtle/
WHERE:  Skeleton Park
WHEN: Friday Sept 1, 8 pm (Rain Date: Friday, Sept. 8)
 
6) FYI: Montreal St. building issue.
Message from sister organization, the McBurney Park Neighbourhood Association stating opposition to a proposed amendment to alter a site on Montreal St. from commercial to residential. 
In our opinion this flies in the face of the city’s North King’s Town Visioning and Preliminary Marketing analysis.  Read what they sent below and decide for yourselves.

According to the new North King’s Town report, Montreal St.. is designated as a newly developing commercial corridor.  In the recent past, many of the small businesses have closed due to retirements.  However, with the current renewal of the area, much opportunity exists for small commercial ventures like the hugely successful  Elm Cafe.
Here is what was sent from the MPNA.
 
Many neighbours in the MPNA, especially surrounding Charles/Montreal, are concerned about the zoning amendment application to change the ground floor of 306-308 Montreal Street (across the street from The Elm Cafe) into residential.  The main concern is the potential to lose an important walkable commercial space in the growing community hub of activity at the intersection of Montreal and Charles Street.

MPNA is suggesting that you consider sending a letter to City Planner Amy Didrikson adidrikson@cityofkingston.ca and cc:  Councillor Rob Hutchinson rhutchison@cityofkingston.ca to voice your opposition. 
The public meeting will be 6:30pm Aug 29 in the Council Chambers of City Hall.
                                                                                                                          
Here below are some arguments in opposition to the proposed zoning amendment.
It is better for the sustainability and walkability of this high-density neighbourhood to have walkable access to commercial and retail amenities and community hubs of activity.  Allowing this valuable street level commercial space to become residential will dampen the desired development of this high density residential area as walkable and providing accessible amenities, as outlined in the Official Plan.             
-The Official Plan (OP) notes that one of the “Urban Areas – Focus of Growth” should be enhanced access to public amenities and encouraging a mix of land uses that provide for employment, personal service and retail in close proximity to residential areas (para 2.1.1 c, f, and m).High-density is defined as 70 units per hectare.  This area is already 165 units per. 
-The North King’s Town (NKT) Report has detailed how commercial and retail development, specifically along the Montreal Street pedestrian corridor, is desirable.  Montreal Street plays the “role as a vibrant main street through the North King’s Town Study Area” (para 5.3.3).
-“Walkable” is generally understood to be 400 metres.  The downtown business area is not close enough to be walkable for the residents of the neighbourhood around the Montreal and Charles Street intersection.The commercial nature of this particular property provides walkable access to goods and services within the market being served in the immediate residential neighbourhood.
-This section of Montreal Street is characterized by mixed residential and commercial.  There is already a great deal of residential in this area, with not a great deal of commercial.  Removing even one property from commercial designation would have an impact on the character and function of this section of Montreal Street.  Both the OP and NKT Report stress the importance of keeping commercial viability along the corridors to downtown.
Although commercial and retail development that will serve the needs of area residents is desirable, there are not a lot of properties in the area that are suitable for this sort of development.
 -The NKT Report notes that suitable development locations are in short supply, as many properties have limited street frontage, poor transit access and potential environmental concerns (para 4.5.5).
-The ground floor at 306-308 Montreal Street is valuable as a commercial space because it has excellent street frontage, is located at a bus stop, and has no reported environmental concerns. 
-This neighbourhood has recently seen five new businesses open on this strip: a thriving cafe, a hair salon, an antiques store, and two pharmacies.  These new business are a hopeful sign of future development that is in accordance with the Official Plan’s goals of high density residential neighbourhoods in walkable distance to neighbourhood commercial hubs of activity and public amenities. 
There is high probability that although the applicant wishes to obtain flexibility in the zoning of this property, the owner will renovate the ground floor to become residences in the foreseeable future if this application is approved.  Changing this property, which is prime for commercial development, will jeopardize the desired development of this area.              

Hope to see many of you in the park Thursday, Friday and SATURDAY!
Cheers,
Mary Farrar,
President,
Friends of Kingston Inner Harbour