Sudbury takes next step in Lasalle Boulevard facelift

A major road in New Sudbury could soon be getting a major facelift.

The section ofLasalle Boulevard from Falconbridge Road to Notre Dame Avenue may one day feature tree-lined lanes, a multi-use trail, retail stores closer to the road and spaces for public art at new east and west "gateways."

The redesign is part of the city's "nodes and corridors" study, looking at ways of improving thoroughfares such as The Kingsway, Notre Dame Avenue, Barrydowne Road and Lorne Street.

Ed Landry, a senior planner with the city, told CBC News that the revisioning of Lasalle is the first of its kind undertaken by staffers.

And he says being the first at means they're able to consider urban design in a different way. Landry called it a "paradigm shift" in the way they're approaching Lasalle's new look.

"Traditionally, we look at our corridors and say our roads need to be this wide, need to accommodate turning radii for this, etc," Landry said.

"[Now we're] saying…'how do we design for people first, with buildings in mind.'"

He also said Lasalle can become a destination, rather than just a go-through.

Hamilton, Fredericton, Toronto already adopted new approach

Streets in Hamilton, Fredericton and Toronto provide good examples of what Landry hopes to see.

"Buildings closer to the street, [that] frame the street to have a better streetscape," he said. "More mixed uses along Lasalle, perhaps even parking in the back, street trees, street furniture, more residential along Lasalle."

If city council approves the planning department recommendations in July, staff will be able to get into more details about the street's facelift.

As for now, it remains in the planning stages, but Landry said his team is already at work setting up public input sessions to get feedback on the redesign.

Read the full Lasalle Boulevard corridor report here.

The dates and times of the input sessions will be posted on the city's website as details are made available.