Gathering held to help London’s new River District make some waves

Officials behind London’s River District are showcasing the neighbourhood, hoping to get more involved. CTV’s Gerry Dewan reports.

Business owners, entrepreneurs, and community leaders gathered for a meet and greet designed to help grow The River District, describing it as an emerging hub of commerce, culture, and community.

Adam Carapella described it as, “Something that is a major destination within the city, and we just want to continue this momentum.”

Carapella is vice-president of operations for Tricar Developments. Tricar constructed Riverwalk Apartments.

Located on Thames Street, the 24-storey tower overlooks the Thames River. Carapella wanted to be part of establishing the River District, “As developers, we’re not just building one building or one subdivision or whatever the case may be. We’re really building communities.”

Carapella said the district covers and area just east of the Thames, extending from Dundas Place to the north and Bathurst Street to the south.

The River District concept has been championed by Andrew McClenaghan, co-owner of the London Bicycle Café. The café is located on the ground floor of the Riverwalk tower, just steps away from river trails.

McClenaghan said a lot of elements go into this kind of community building, “You do need capital, and you need a vision. And then you need the support from your partners around you. So, it is kind of an all, all, angel inspiring, all selling type scenario where everyone needs to work towards a shared vision.”

The argument has been made for decades that the city needs to make better use of the Thames as an attraction, including adding features designed to draw people to the river.

In recent years, the city has been making investments in that direction, but Mayor Josh Morgan said community buy-in shown by the River District organizers is imperative, “It’s grassroots driven. Right. And things are always more successful when it’s the people who live and work and play here driving an initiative.”

There are already plans for a free concert series on the Bicycle Café patio and organizers are hopeful more ideas will emerge from the meet and greet that will help build momentum for the district.