After some small businesses said the city of Kelowna should play a bigger role in helping local businesses find the downtown area, the city responded, saying there was over $ 100 million in development.
Additionally, the city has paid great attention to the development of the technology sector by working with the Innovation Center, alongside additional initiatives such as the Metabridge Festival, revitalization projects, focus groups and, perhaps most importantly, the work of the Central Okanagan Development Commission, on which Kelowna, according to Robert Fine, Director of Business and Corporate Development, makes a significant financial contribution.
“(My job) is making sure that discussions of issues here have a business perspective,” said Fine.
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The problems small businesses had ranged from construction, parking, restaurant chains, and major downtown events, which resulted in small businesses seeing a decline in clientele, and therefore revenue.
“The city is investing heavily in the city center,” said Kelowna city manager Doug Gilchrist. “(We have to) maintain the infrastructure well and we (do) with an eye on the company.”
A significant portion of the aforementioned $ 100 million was spent during the Bernard Avenue revitalization project, which was completed in May 2014. The project lasted 21 months and – if you compare those two years of intense construction to development in Kelowna – some city officials would say the end product is worth the current austerity measures.
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During Bernard’s revitalization, Fine said the companies lining the avenue had “amazing entrepreneurs to settle in” during the intense construction period, noting that it is difficult for everyone to develop.
“The process (designed to be) has as little impact as possible,” said Fine. “The happy days are over.”
But for Luke Allcock, longtime bartender at Doc Willoughby’s Public House, the Bernard Avenue Project didn’t do much to help their restaurant other than “solve the parking lot problem”.
“I have no examples of the City of Kelowna doing anything to help businesses in any way,” he said.
Danielle Cross, owner of Buvez, was particularly open about her dissatisfaction with the city’s attempts to encourage small businesses.
“It smelled awful and the jackhammer was central,” said Cross of the construction in Chapman Parkade. “Why are you doing (construction) in July?”
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Fine was unable to answer exactly why construction is going on when it does, as it is a multidisciplinary decision, but said it has a lot to do with weather and crew availability.
However, part of the process for the city is to keep up with the pace of development and growth in the region. Fine said the city has implemented a “streamline system (system) for approving processes” internally, such as: B. zoning and other municipal trade regulations.
In 2016, the council approved the borough plan, which was designed to “guide the long-term redevelopment of key locations in the area and identify key public investment priorities in the city center”.
As part of the plan, advice was sought from the community on how best to develop the city center through community workshops, face-to-face meetings, online tools, and other forms of engagement.
Gilchrist cited this plan as yet another example of how the city supports downtown businesses.
“They just don’t understand how something like (construction) can really affect a company,” Cross said. “Above all, a business with a margin of three to nine percent.”
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David.venn@kelownacapnews.com
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