Sudbury projects infusing core with colour: Elgin Street Greenway to create one long park and pathway.

• Author: McKinley, Karen
• Position: SUDBURY

Sudbury's downtown core is starting to look a lot more natural these days with the transformation of what used to be empty spaces into what will be one long greenway cutting across the city's core.

The city's 2012 Downtown Master Plan called for major improvements to the downtown core, which included plans for public spaces to attract users.

Several individual projects have been progressing during the summer, with completion of all of them by the start of winter.

Two of those projects, the Brady-Durham Green Stairway and the renovation of the courtyard at Tom Davies Square, are nearing completion. The courtyard has been under construction for nearly a year and a half. The green stairs have been under construction since this spring.

The plan is to have an accessible pedestrian pathway cutting through the city's downtown, giving users a safe and easy pathway and funneling them to points of interest, shopping, services and dining while developing the urban ecosystem.

Those projects will be linked to the Elgin Street Greenway, which is planned to go from Larch Street to the Nelson Street Parkette.

Here is a breakdown of the plans and progress of the projects:

Tom Davies Square Courtyard

The courtyard was designed to be a focal point for residents. Originally built in the 1960s, it was a gathering place with a water feature, paving stones, benches and green space. In the winter, it was a skating rink.

Over the decades, the courtyard fell out of favour and the space saw less use.

It also serves as the rooftop for an underground parking garage, which has been leaking for years, creating structural and electrical hazards.

Now, with the city eager to regenerate the downtown core, it's undergoing an $8.5-million renovation to make it attractive, safer and stronger.

"It's not just about beautifying the courtyard; it's also an integral part of the square's structure and it needs to be repaired and waterproofed," said Kevin Fowke, the city's general manager of corporate services.

"Over time, it will flow to the Brady-Durham Green Stairway, also under construction, and up to the Elgin Street Greenway."

The courtyard is situated in an ecologically sensitive area, as Junction Creek flows under the building, and there are people and vehicles inside the structure.

"We have to be very careful from an asset management point of view to make sure that they are maintained," Fowke said.

"It may look to the average person like we are putting in a nice courtyard...