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Mayor, city councillors encouraged by downtown task force recommendations |
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Written by Gordon Hoekstra
Citizen staff
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Tuesday, 03 November 2009 |
Saying this downtown revitalization effort is different than numerous plans in the past, the mayor's task force on improving the downtown says there is a "get-it-done" attitude to implementing a slate of recommendations endorsed in principle by city council this week.
"This is the first time in the history of all of these attempts that there is this much involvement from key stakeholders who can make and effect change," says Coun. Cameron Stolz, who sits on the task force. "And I would beg the citizens of Prince George to consider that when they sit down and review this in the days and weeks ahead."
The task force's report is available by downloading the November agenda at www.city.pg.bc.ca/cityhall/agendas.
Other revitalization efforts - particularly a committee that produced a Time for Action report in 1996, and a pair of plans, including another mayor's task force, produced in 1989 - have included representatives from the city, economic development agencies, business, property owners, architects, planners, UNBC, CNC and some social agencies.
This is the first time, however, that representatives of First Nations, the RCMP and heath services sat directly at the table. (Other downtown revitalization efforts have received input from these groups).
"This is a shared effort - different than previous efforts," said mayor Dan Rogers, noting that there were no consultants presenting the recommendations at council's Monday night meeting.
A partnership between the city and downtown businesses produced a two-volume downtown revitalization study from leading planners Urbanics Consultants Ltd., responsible for developments like Granville Island in Vancouver.
The latest effort has produced 69 wide-ranging recommendations approved in principle by city council unanimously on Monday. They cover economic development incentives, housing, health and wellness, safety, cleanliness, transportation and air quality.
Many of these recommendations are similar to those from the 1989 and 1996 downtown revitalization efforts. This time, however, general time lines have been attached to recommendations, ranging from immediate to long-term of three years or more.
Some of the recommendations on the "immediate action" list are still expected to take up to six months to implement, but the new RCMP downtown enforcement unit, for example, is expected to hit the ground in just weeks.
According to Stolz, items on the immediate action list that may take up to six months to implement, include developing special economic development districts and establishing incentives for a wood-first residential district in the Vancouver to Victoria streets area.
The incentive contemplated in the wood-first residential district is a 10-year tax exemption on improvements, which already exists in the core downtown area. The incentive contemplated in the downtown core includes adding a tax holiday on land as well.
A key component of the latest recommendations is a model that is meant to ensure the revitalization plan does not get forgotten.
Coun. Shari Green, who also sits on the task force, said the "keeper of the vision" could be a dedicated manager of downtown development, an independent organization or a downtown development corporation. (The idea of ensuring a downtown revitalization plan is not lost is not a new one. Similar ideas were suggested by the downtown revitalization planning efforts carried out in 1989, 1996 and in 2000).
The work on developing a custodian for the revitalization plan as been turned over to Vancouver-based H.B. Lanarc Consultants Ltd., who have been hired to help the city put together a long-term sustainability plan. The majority of Lanarc's $444,000 contract is being paid with federal funding, although the city is sharing in the cost.
Another recommendation has been to develop a downtown brand and a downtown marketing strategy, which is also not a new suggestion. Work was already carried out in this area in 2006.
Initiatives Prince George CEO Tim McEwan, who also sits on the latest task force, said he expects work on the brand and marketing strategy to take one to two months. "We want to target investors in a deliberate way," McEwan told council.
Another recommendation that Initiatives Prince George, the city's economic development agency, has taken responsibly for is putting together an application to the Northern Trust for funding to carry out a business case analysis for a year-round farmer's market in downtown.
A Citizen review has already shown there has been numerous plans to revitalize downtown in the past 40 years, including at least three major efforts in the past two decades alone.
While some elements have been implemented, the revitalization plans have largely been unsuccessful. There are an increasing number of empty store fronts downtown, particularly along George Street, the city's historic main street. Some downtown business owners complain of open drug dealing and liquor consumption, aggressive behaviour of some street people, crime and vandalism, fighting when the bars empty at night, and a perception that downtown is unsafe.
ghoekstra@pgcitizen.ca
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 03 November 2009 )
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