Downtown Guelph is the heart of our city. A place residents and visitors come to play, live, shop and work. Let’s make it even better and give new life to our downtown.

We have a vibrant and thriving downtown, and we want it to stay that way for years to come. We also have aging water and sewer pipes, roads and sidewalks that must be replaced; some of the underground pipes are over 100 years old! We’re replacing our aging infrastructure and upgrading utility services, and before we put the roads back together, we will have an opportunity to modernize and upgrade the streetscape.

Improving this important infrastructure will allow us to provide quality service and support the economic vitality of our downtown.

Work like this takes time. It takes years to research, engage with the community, plan and replace the infrastructure. This important project will improve our downtown for all businesses, residents, users and visitors. Let’s work together to create a place for everyone downtown.

The Downtown Infrastructure Renewal project is one of many projects under the overarching Downtown Renewal efforts. The overall Downtown Renewal program will transform and revitalize how Downtown looks, feels and functions, making it future-ready to support growth to 2051 and beyond.

Planning phase

Planning for Downtown Infrastructure Renewal began in the spring of 2021. During the planning phase we are looking at the existing infrastructure and the future needs of downtown to determine what we need to update.

As part of the planning work we are completing two Municipal Class Environment Assessments (EAs). Environmental assessments involve collaborating with the community to support planning and decision-making for large projects.

• The Wyndham Street EA examines the function of the road for all users including the number of traffic lanes and available active transportation infrastructure.
• The Macdonell and Allan Dam structures EA across the Speed River to confirm required improvements and the preferred solution for each.

In 2024, we will present the EAs and Downtown Renewal planning findings and approach to City Council for approval. We expect to start work on the final design of the first project for the Downtown Renewal in late 2024 or early 2025. Construction will start no sooner than 2026. The overall design and construction process is expected to last from eight to 10 years depending on pace and capacity.

Project study area

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Engagement opportunities

As part of the Downtown Renewal project, we are undertaking two Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) Studies in the downtown core. These EAs looked at various options for traffic flow, pedestrian areas and public spaces in your downtown streets, and the bridge and dam structures along Macdonell.

A summary of engagement activities and what we heard in 2022 and 2023 can be found in the documents panel on this page, including:

• Summary of Summer 2022 engagement
• Summary of Fall 2022 engagement
• Summary of Summer 2023 engagement
• Summary of Fall 2023 engagement

We will be back early in 2024 to talk with the community about the Macdonell and Allan's structures options.

How to reach us:

We're always here to answer your questions and share information with the community. reach out any time at DowntownProject@guelph.ca. We'll get back to you within a few business days.