City staff are ready to begin detailed design work for the Mitton Street reconstruction project, between Wellington Street and Davis Street, but first, they need council direction on how to proceed.
Out of three possible concepts, option one has been recommended as the preferred choice.
It includes a wider sidewalk, narrower road lanes, bump outs, and maintains on-street parking with the option of flexible spaces for patios and pop-ups.
A report to council said the option best captures the majority of feedback received from members of the public and local businesses.
Feedback was gathered through an online survey through the Speak Up Sarnia website and an in-person public information meeting held in October.
Through the survey, 49.6 per cent of respondents preferred option three, while 47.2 per cent approved option one. The majority of business owners (80 per cent) also identified option one as the preferred choice.
However, 20 per cent of business owners did not like any of the options presented.
Manager of Development and Transportation Alister Brown said staff held further discussions with local entrepreneurs, who identified common issues.
"There was certainly a concern about parking. So we've taken that into account and looked at our design again," said Brown. "We can still move forward with this without sacrificing as much of the parking and still meet our intent of a nice flex street with calmer traffic and space to activate for businesses."
The concept of flex spaces (a versatile area) is being incorporated in other municipalities, specifically in downtown and commercial districts.
"It becomes a good space for events and gathering," Brown said.
Unlike option three, option one does not include separated cycling infrastructure. Brown said with the traffic calming measures included in option one, it is believed the existing street space is suitable to be shared by vehicles and bicycles.
Letters from the Mitton Village Citizens Collective, local business owners, and the Mitton Village Community Development Advisory Committee were included in the council report.
One feature they wanted incorporated into the project was a brick streetscape.
"We are asking for the opportunity to explore that within the budget that's been approved for the project," Brown said. "So with a little bit of direction and adoption of option one as the preferred, we would then start to look at whether or not the paving stone streetscape is feasible for the project."
Brown said the detailed design work for this project will be done in-house.
The full-scale reconstruction project is scheduled to take place in 2026.
The purpose of the project is for combined sewer separation on Mitton Street, which is included in the proposed 2026 budget and was approved in principle during the November 25 meeting.
City councillors will meet on Monday, December 15 at 1 p.m. It is the last scheduled council meeting of 2025.
