The conversion of residences to commercial continues in Little Italy. This house has had its front yard blown out and an enlarged basement put in. Presumably some new building will appear on top of the new foundation. I hear it will be another “cafe”, a number of which exist already on Preston Street. I am especially amused by the cafe’s that do so little visible business during the day but draw curtains over the windows and seem to be busy well into the night.

In the picture above, the black landscaping fabric is being installed in excavations being dug for tree planting wells in the new wider sidewalks as part of the streetscaping plan for Preston. The sign posted in the window may or may not be a building permit. Such details often do not bother developers getting in on Ottawa’s next hottest neighborhood. The new location of the Black Cat Cafe (with no curtained windows at night) is on the left.