Plans to expand Preston Street BIA and create a new Cyrville BIA were approved by the city’s finance and corporate services committee today.
The Preston Street BIA is seeking to expand its boundaries to include 39 new commercial properties and 164 businesses in sectors such as professional services, health, beauty, fitness, retail and food and beverage.
The new boundaries would expand northwest to include Albert Street to City Centre Avenue, east to just past Booth Street, south from Poplar Street to Carling Avenue and west from Railway Street to just past Champagne Avenue South.
In 2025, the Preston Street BIA received a $7,500 grant from the city to undertake a comprehensive property and business inventory to enable accurate stakeholder identification and outreach, analyze commercial property tax rolls for existing and proposed expansion areas, identify future commercial development opportunities and model scenarios of proposed expansion on the BIA’s budget and levy.
If the expansion is approved by city council, the BIA plans to change its name to “better reflect the BIA’s evolution from traditional main street to a culturally distinct commercial district,” a report to committee says.
The BIA’s board of management said in the report that it is not planning on making changes to the BIA levy in 2027.
City councillors whose wards intersect with the boundaries of the Preston Street BIA were in support of the expansion.
“The Preston Street Business Improvement Association (PSBIA) has been very successful in programming cultural and community events on Preston Street, managing the public realm and providing economic development support to new and existing businesses on the street. The PSBIA successfully runs several annual events including Italian Week and Taste of Little Italy. These events have become pillars of the community and attract residents from all parts of Ottawa,” Coun. Ariel Troster said in the report. “I am happy to support the proposed expansion plan and excited to see more businesses represented by the PSBIA.”
“I appreciate the efforts staff have undertaken to ensure awareness of this proposal and for keeping me abreast of its progress. I am supportive of the expansion,” Coun. Jeff Leiper said.
In a letter to council, Michelle Groulx, former chief advocate of the Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas, said the Preston Street BIA is one of Ottawa’s strongest examples of the impact of BIAs in Canada.
“The BIA’s work has helped attract visitors, support local businesses, celebrate Ottawa’s Italian heritage, and create a destination that contributes meaningfully to Ottawa’s tourism, cultural, and economic landscape; it is the backbone of a thriving neighbourhood in Ottawa’s core,” she said in the letter, adding that the expansion would attract additional businesses to the area and create greater cohesion across the district.
In another letter to council, Groulx endorsed the formation of a Cyrville-area BIA, saying that “a Cyrville BIA will help anchor this emerging neighbourhood with a strong mainstreet presence that is branded, welcoming, community-focused and reflective of the evolving character of the area.”
In December 2024, the Cyrville BIA steering committee started meeting, with the goal of exploring whether Cyrville area businesses would benefit from being a part of a BIA.
The committee was made up of volunteers from businesses in the area including Christian Campanale, president of Evospace Construction; Stefania Parnanzone, director of asset management at TCU Development Corp.; Carl Poirier, founder and creative strategist of Cayenne Creative; and Simon Hebert, regional director of Lone Star Texas Grill.
The boundaries of the new BIA would go north to south, from Donald Street to Innes Road, and west to east, from St. Laurent Boulevard to Highway 417, and include major streets such as Cyrville Road, Star Top Road and parts of Ogilvie Road.
If formed, the BIA would encompass 192 commercial and industrial properties that would be subject to a BIA levy, including six properties under payment-in-lieu of taxes. These properties represent a total assessment base of about $757 million, a report to committee says.
Additionally, there are approximately 474 businesses operating within the study area, with the predominant sectors being retail, automotive services, food and beverage, construction and building supply and professional services.
If city council approves the establishment of a BIA, next steps would include: facilitating the formation of a board of management, coordinating a formal vote of the new board to confirm the name of the BIA, guiding the board through the development of an inaugural operating budget to commence Jan. 1, and providing ongoing admin guidance throughout the transition period to ensure the BIA is established in a transparent, compliant and effective manner.
Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney said the formation of this BIA represents “an important milestone for a community that has experienced significant growth and transition in recent years.”
“Cyrville is evolving rapidly, with new residential development, employment lands, and institutional anchors contributing to its transformation. A BIA has the potential to provide coordinated leadership, advocacy, and investment to help shape that growth in a strategic and locally driven way,” he said in the report. “A Cyrville BIA has the potential to strengthen the local business environment, improve place-making and build a stronger collective voice for the area. I look forward to continued collaboration with property owners, businesses, and staff as this proposal advances to committee and council for consideration.”
Both proposals will be considered for approval at city council on June 10.
