Snider Plaza on Bank Street in the downtown core will be redeveloped into a year-round urban park, according to the Centretown BIA’s executive director.
Last June, the BIA unveiled Uncommon, an outdoor event space at Snider Plaza on Bank Street, between Laurier Avenue and Slater Street.
The space, complete with a shipping container-turned-mini-kitchen, lights and wi-fi, was originally designed as a gathering place for the community. But, with the recent success of the BIA’s “Street Seats” project and the Downtown BIA’s Metcalfe Plaza, the concept of Uncommon at Snider Plaza seemed to fall short, SabriNa Lemay, executive director of the Centretown BIA, told OBJ on Wednesday.
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“It wasn’t hitting what we wanted in terms of bringing the community together in the ways we had hoped. Then, Metcalfe Plaza was created and was such a success. Metcalfe Plaza will be in our new expanded boundary and, even though it’s the Downtown BIA who’s managing and running it, we do partner well together. We thought, ‘Why create the exact same thing (with Snider Plaza)?’” Lemay said.
The BIA wanted to better utilize the space while continuing to create placemaking in the core. Its decision to turn the space into an urban park with a focus on the arts was inspired by the Ottawa Board of Trade’s Downtown Ottawa Action Agenda, which calls for more accessible greenspace and sets a goal to create an arts and culture district in the core.
“When we consider the fact that many residents are going to be coming to the downtown core and all the redevelopments that will be taking place, it only made sense to us that we create a sort of park,” Lemay said. “The idea would be (for it) to have a green wall and lots of plants … but more than that, it’s going to be an arts hub.”
The redeveloped Snider Plaza will showcase works of art from local artists, presented on a monthly rotation and all pieces for sale, she said.
The shipping container canteen will remain, but will only serve non-alcoholic beverages, Lemay said. “Creating a restaurant in (Snider Plaza) was great, but I would rather see people going to all of our different businesses and bringing that food into the plaza.”
In an effort to make the new urban park a year-round attraction, Lemay said the BIA would change up the greenery to more weather-resistant plants and enhance the space with projections, lights and durable art installations.
“The programming in the space will remain. Drinks in the container might be hot chocolate and the hours might change, but the idea will remain the same.”
She said that the BIA might partner with Winterlude to bring special programming to the space in the winter months.
The new Snider Plaza urban park will remain available for Ottawa businesses to use for events, Lemay added.
The redevelopment is just one of the Centretown BIA’s priorities for 2026, Lemay said. It will also be focusing on its boundary expansion, the evolution of its successful Streets Seats project and an initiative that would see cleaning crews tidying up the area, Lemay said.
Overall, the redevelopment will continue to speak to the need for placemaking, she said.
“It really ties into the overall picture, (while also) bringing more tourists to the area. At the end of the day, we need to create space. When we look at the ‘Street Seats’ program, it really wasn’t about creating events. It was about creating place and this is what creates place.”
