Since the 2000s, there have been updates made to improve the downtown experience. Things like wider sidewalks, trees in the boulevards, and seating areas make it more comfortable, accessible, and enjoyable for spending time downtown. Until now, those upgrades were only on Elizabeth Street and McRae Street. Now its time to upgrade North Railway Street and tie together the look and feel across the whole downtown core.

The Town based the design for upgrading Main Street on community engagement and design work conducted in 2020/2021. See the What We Heard Report for a summary of the feedback we received. It didn’t make sense at that time to start construction on this project. We are now taking those designs, finalizing them, and planning for construction starting in Spring 2025.

The upgrades will occur on Elizabeth, McRae and North Railway Streets from Northridge Drive to Poplar Avenue. Here are the main changes we are planning for:

• Replacing deep utilities (sewer and water lines)
• Burying overhead power lines
• Upgrading the public spaces (widening sidewalks, updating lighting and boulevard designs, adding seating areas)
• Changing the road design to make traffic flow and add safety features for pedestrians
• Updating Triangle Park and Pisttoo Park to integrate with the new streetscaping and make them more enjoyable for everyone

Our vision for this project is to enhance the look and feel of downtown making it a unique place where the community wants to be. Imagine wider sidewalks, easier access and a more inviting atmosphere. We want to bring the community together by enhancing the local environment. Whether you're into events, culture, dining, or just relaxing, we want downtown to be the go-to spot. It's all about making our downtown shine brighter than ever!

The project goals are:

• Create and build safe, welcoming, appealing and engaging public spaces
• Support the arts, culture and events even more by making spaces that are designed around these needs
• Enhance the connection and attractiveness in the spots where private spaces meet public spaces
• Build spaces that support increased business activity and diversity of commercial activities
• Enable businesses to use the street area in front of their property as an extension of their business space (retail, dining, seating, etc.)
• Bring more visitors into downtown through better accessibility and navigability for people of all ages and abilities
• Provide an incentive for businesses to want to stay open for longer hours in the downtown

What we are planning includes two main parts:

1. On Elizabeth and McRae Streets: We will modernize the public space work that was done in the 2000s. Think new sidewalk materials, seating areas, trees and plants, where it’s needed and makes sense.

2. On North Railway Street: We will update aging deep utility infrastructure (underground water and sewer networks), replace roads and sidewalks, provide streetscape improvements (i.e. accessibility, pedestrian realm enhancements, landscaping, lighting, street furniture upgrades), and update the parks.

The streetscape preliminary design and parks designs will be shared as soon as they are completed.

Park Updates

With the upgrades happening for Main Street starting in 2025, we are improving both Triangle and Pisttoo Parks. The idea is to enhance these parks to offer more gathering spaces in the downtown for all community members and seamlessly connect these parks with the Main Streets updates.

Triangle Park was part of the Main Street design process and public engagement that happened in 2020/2021, but we didn’t select a preferred design concept at that time. Pisttoo Park was not included in the 2020/2021 designs.

Design concepts are being created for each park that will work with the expected Main Streets updates. The park designs will be shared at the upcoming fall engagements.

Triangle Park Location

Pisttoo Park Location

Triangle Park

The park was originally a project of the Okotoks Community Booster Club that dates back to 1962, and consisted of a wading/paddling pool. The responsibility for the park was turned over to the Town by the Booster Club in July 1965. Improvements were made to the park in 1998 to comply with the playground safety standards at that time.

Okotoks Museum & Archives, 1981

Pisttoo Park
This park, located next to the Okotoks Art Gallery, was created in 1981 when the Town of Okotoks first established The Station Cultural Centre in the former CP train station. It was named Dewdney Park to recognize the time when Okotoks was called ‘Dewdney’ in the 1890s.

The park was renamed Pisttoo Park on National Indigenous People’s Day on June 21, 2022. Pisttoo, Blackfoot for nighthawk, is a prominent figure in the Napi & the Big Rock story, the basis for "Okotoks" & how the Okotoks erratic split in two.
Scotty Many Guns-Onistaomahka (former Siksika Band Council member)

Okotoks Museum & Archives, 1999