[IanO]

Glorious bulgogi and soft serve.

 

[Garneau2Go]

Not everything is nor needs to be open 7 days a week.

Ehhh, I know staffing is an issue and most of the sales are to the office worker crowd but if you're coming in on the weekend to shop or outside office hours it's really frustrating to see a lot of businesses closed.

I'm willing to give your business money for goods and services. I physically can't spend money at your store if you're not open.

 

[TAS]

Ehhh, I know staffing is an issue and most of the sales are to the office worker crowd but if you're coming in on the weekend to shop or outside office hours it's really frustrating to see a lot of businesses closed.

I'm willing to give your business money for goods and services. I physically can't spend money at your store if you're not open.

A place can still be open weekends and not be open 7 days a week. If a museum gets very little traffic historically on Mondays, does it make good sense to be open?

 

[TAS]

This is not a great use of city funds, at all.

$1MM or however much will last like 2 months of leasing/opex costs, will go right into the pockets of the mall owners for those two months, subsidizes a couple pop ups shops selling candles and calendars, then what are those shops going to do once that $1MM evaporates after two months? Are you expecting people to travel downtown to buy candles and such from those pop up shops that they could get at literally any other farmers market / pop up market beyond the two months?

You need sustainable, constant foot traffic. Potential better uses of funds, or better strategies to get foot traffic downtown:

1. Continue incentives for residential development (this was successful last year in deferring tax payments of residential developments) - means no cash is leaving the City's hands as tax revenue is deferred rather than donated
2. Engage a leasing party to come up with a specific strategy for recruiting companies downtown. For example, there are many smaller Edmonton companies that have their offices in places like 170st or on the South Side with leases coming due. Could the city entice these companies to move their suburban offices downtown?
3. Use those funds to put out an RFP for a reputable consulting firm (BCG, EY, McKinsey just for example) to come up with a downtown focused strategy that will engage with and recruit business to downtown.
4. Or, simply use those funds to achieve the basics like having a couple more people picking up garbage more frequently or having side walk sweepers out more frequently.

Those solutions range from more elaborate to basic with the intention of creating sustainable bodies downtown.

Handing out $$$ to cover a lease for a couple months for pop up shops is not a good use of funds at all.

I was under false impression $1million would last longer than 2 months. And i would expect mall would give a better negotiated rate for taking over multiple spots.

We provide incentives for residential construction (and $25M or more for pedway), so maybe some incentives at least to open up shop dt?

Just seems a lot of comments about the lack of shopping options. And if we want something to happen sooner than later, need to do something.

I support bringing more residents downtown but that's going to be a couple years until next two towers (Falcon and Parks) are up and a few more years after that for anything else. Is that going to be enough to accelerate new businesses in city centre or the empty CRUs in the area for years?

 

[Greenspace]

I certainly have thought about the idea of subsidizing retail (fake it until you can make it) but unsure if this is the best use of funds? Specifically lets say you tried to get the H&Ms of the world here a $0 except op costs. For discussion sake.

 

[CaptainBL]

We provide incentives for residential construction (and $25M or more for pedway), so maybe some incentives at least to open up shop dt?

Just seems a lot of comments about the lack of shopping options. And if we want something to happen sooner than later, need to do something.

I support bringing more residents downtown but that's going to be a couple years until next two towers (Falcon and Parks) are up and a few more years after that for anything else. Is that going to be enough to accelerate new businesses in city centre or the empty CRUs in the area for years?

The highlighted point - incentives were provided and those are helping with sustainable long term solutions (i.e. bringing more foot traffic downtown). Those are great and should be continued or expanded. It would be great to see a similar incentive in place for businesses or companies to take up vacant office space as this could also lead to more sustainable foot traffic.

On the other hand, I have talked to a few restaurantors in the city (a couple who have a portfolio of restaurants throughout Edmonton) and they either have closed their downtown spots or refuse to open one of their restaurants downtown because of social disorder, lease rates (104th street for example was highlighted by one), and the general state of downtown. I dont think incentives to get these types of businesses work because they still need the food traffic to drive their revenue.

 

[Garneau2Go]

A place can still be open weekends and not be open 7 days a week. If a museum gets very little traffic historically on Mondays, does it make good sense to be open?

Sure I get that, and if I was looking for a pair of pants at 3 in the morning I'd agree, but if it's 2 in the afternoon on a Saturday and you're closed? It's peak shopping hours and I'd be hard pressed to make the trip if I didn't already live there.

I'm with you on museums and the like, but the evenings and weekends are limited downtown right now and It's really hard to say that it's helping with any sort of recovery. Whether that's some grant that's needed I don't know, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating when I'm actively trying to support businesses down there.

 

[TAS]

Sure I get that, and if I was looking for a pair of pants at 3 in the morning I'd agree, but if it's 2 in the afternoon on a Saturday and you're closed? It's peak shopping hours and I'd be hard pressed to make the trip if I didn't already live there.

I'm with you on museums and the like, but the evenings and weekends are limited downtown right now and It's really hard to say that it's helping with any sort of recovery. Whether that's some grant that's needed I don't know, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating when I'm actively trying to support businesses down there.

Where are you getting the idea that I or someone is suggesting a dt clothing store closed on a Saturday afternoon makes good sense? Is there even a clothing store that's closed now at this time given you are bringing up this example?

In suggesting that I don't think all businesses need to be open 7 days a week, it doesn't mean I am suggesting that Saturday should be the day they are closed.

 

[Garneau2Go]

Where are you getting the idea that I or someone is suggesting a dt clothing store closed on a Saturday afternoon makes good sense? Is there even a clothing store that's closed now at this time given you are bringing up this example?

In suggesting that I don't think all businesses need to be open 7 days a week, it doesn't mean I am suggesting that Saturday should be the day they are closed.

I'll be honest, looking back again I definitely misunderstood what you were getting at. Sorry, my mistake, glad we are on the same page. For what it's worth I did find one place closed Saturday.

A lot more are closed Sundays which personally I don't think is much better but that's subjective. I think that's where my mixup was

 

[IanO]

I certainly have thought about the idea of subsidizing retail (fake it until you can make it) but unsure if this is the best use of funds? Specifically lets say you tried to get the H&Ms of the world here a $0 except op costs. For discussion sake.

H&M chose not to add an ECC location (that was literally 95% a done deal) back in 2016 (?) where the Urban space and ATB is due to the folks from corporate (Tot/MTL?) coming out and seeing how little street traffic there was, but more importantly how 'close' Kingsway was and that folks could just go there.

It would not have generated enough traffic on its own and certainly would not these days.

Could you do that with a Simons? Maybe, but then you get to face the rest of your tenants who actually pay to be there.

 

[IanO]

It takes a village...

---
Daryn Kemp
• 1st
Co-Owner at Venger Electrostatic Coatings
4d • 4 days ago
The Next Step!!

As many of you know, I'm spearheading a MASSIVE Downtown Litter pick-up event called the Corporate Cleanup Challenge. The decision has been made to offer volunteers/companies TWO possible days/times to participate - Friday April 21st from 2 to 4 pm OR Saturday April 22nd from 11 to 1 pm...

More information will continue to roll out over the coming weeks - but the BEST WAY to get in the know and stay in the loop is to REGISTER TO BECOME A SUPPORTER of the Downtown Recovery Coalition

Here's the link... https://yegdowntown.ca/

 

[Gronk!]

Shouldn't this be done before the Junos?

 

[TAS]

Had planned to park at the mall, but the parking was actually full and so they turned us away via attendant and now I can see why. We found metered parking 1.5 blocks away.

I shared this info with both Councillors Salvador and Stevenson last week and asked them both to explain why they supported increasing dt parking fees and expanding the hours of paid parking versus options like YYC was providing with free parking options at different times.

Only heard from Coun. Salvador who said this: (I'm paraphrasing)

While she acknowledged that like most user fees and taxes, higher prices themselves are not a public good, the parking fee increases approved by Council will offset additional impacts to the property tax levy that would otherwise be required.

She also noted that parking fees have stayed virtually stagnant over the past 20 years while property taxes have gone up, leading to a greater and greater subsidization of public parking by all taxpayers.

She said in her view it is important to maintain a balance between different forms of tax and user fees.

Again, she acknowledged that lower parking fees would likely provide some positive impact, but thinks we can get better value for Edmontonians by delivering quality public services along with targeted vibrancy measures for downtown.

 

[IanO]

That's disappointing to not have a reply from Councillor Stevenson on this particular topic.

I was told that for decades these revenues went into general revenue, not reinvested, not indicative or aware of what's happening around them and often as a result of other forces ie. Rogers Place. Instead of supporting residents and businesses who actually live or operate in the core and at a premium, the direction was to penalize them and their visitors by extending parking hours in a Downtown that was, is and continues to be extremely precarious at the best of times.

I believe that these revenues may now be getting redirected to BIAs or geographic areas (?), regardless, your policy direction is conflicting each other and the net result is additional administration, bureaucracy and the fact that you are pissing a ton of people off who may want to come Downtown but were just signalled to not proceed.

It's as much the negative communication and perception piece as much as anything else.

If Edmonton wants to 'maintain a balance', how about it starts with appropriate offsite levies in far flung greenfield communities that are subsidizing sprawl in an unsustainable model.

But that's a lot to bite off and chew on here...

Pennywise and pound foolish, again.

 

[IanO]

Shouldn't this be done before the Junos?

Genuinely curious to see how Downtown (and the city for that matter) gets spruced up for this twice in a generation event.

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BOMEX is coming this Sept 23-26 and is an incredible opportunity to showcase Edmonton to the real estate industry, owners, managers, operators, investors and needs the same level of attention.

What story will Edmonton tell?