Almost a decade after residents took to the streets to protest drug deals and prostitution happening on their streets, Hintonburg residents say their community has experienced a remarkable transformation.
Residents said they didn't feel safe back then, where people were frequently found passed out on the sidewalks of the west Ottawa community at 4 a.m.
"Say five, six years ago you didn't want to walk down the streets a lot of the time," said Cheryl Parrott, who has lived in Hintonburg for 32 years.
However, she said years of work have made quite a change.
"It's a very pleasant place," she said. "Kids and adults and elderly can walk wherever they want to go and they feel safe."
Along with the new luxury condos that are being built to replace run-down buildings are new businesses who have noticed the improvements.
"Three years ago when we started to look, we were looking in Westboro but this area wasn't as nice as it is now," said Heather Holbrook, owner of Isobel's Cupcakes. "When I decided to start looking again I came back to this neighbourhood and was surprised what a difference the three years has made."
"It's a budding neighbourhood," said the owner of a nearby café. "Organized crime has moved out and families have moved in."
Parrott said the changes have been worth the wait.
"It feels like just a normal community and for many years we didn't have that," she said. "It's been a long, hard struggle but we finally made it."
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Ellen Mauro
