City hopes $5M investment will help pull Edmonton's downtown out of pandemic lull
The City of Edmonton is launching a two-year strategy meant to re-energize its downtown core as it prepares to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city says its new downtown vibrancy strategy will use $5 million to support businesses, visitors, employees and residents of downtown.
"We know that COVID has hit our downtown in a way that's more pronounced than in other parts of the city," deputy city manager of the urban planning and economy department Stephanie McCabe told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday.
"We also know the importance of downtown from an economic, cultural, and social perspective to Edmonton as a whole," she added.
According to a city report, "downtown has been negatively and disproportionately impacted by COVID-19."
That report states that as many as 60,000 office workers are now working from home, and roughly 35,000 post-secondary students have moved to online learning.
'ACTIVATING DOWNTOWN'
"We know that not a lot of people have been visiting downtown, that there haven't been a lot of festivals in the last 15 months," said McCabe, "and so the idea is to welcome Edmonton back to downtown."
According to McCabe, the $5 million will be used for "activating downtown."
She said the city is encouraging a number of festivals to come back to the area in the hopes that more people will decide to come back to enjoy the city's core, "especially through the summer."
"The $5 million is really meant to leverage other dollars," said McCabe. "We know that there's private investment going into downtown as well as other levels of government investing in our downtown."
McCabe said the money could also be used to expand the downtown four-season patio experience, expand public spaces, support return-to-work strategies as well as reopening strategies.
"We're going to look at ways to encourage retailers to stay in the downtown," she said. "We're going to do a promotion campaign about downtown and how important our downtown is for the City of Edmonton."
Other examples of uses for the money include the enhancement of safety in the area, and improving the appearance of vacant lots.
'IT'S A LOT OF RELIEF'
The city is working with partner organizations like Explore Edmonton and the Downtown Business Association (DBA) to help determine the best way to activate downtown using the $5 million.
"It's a lot of relief," DBA executive director Puneeta McBryan told CTV News Edmonton. "This is an uphill battle right now, revitalizing downtown."
"This is the city showing up in a big way for downtown," she added, "putting a plan in place, bringing together all of the different partners that have a role to play in downtown vibrancy."
McBryan said, while the funding for the vibrancy strategy is appreciated, she still worries about the long-term impact COVID-19 will have on Edmonton's downtown.
"We won't really know what happens to office vacancy rates and retail vacancy rates and all that kind of stuff until the dust settles," she said. "Once the rent subsidies and the wage subsidies end, once we really get a sense of how many people are working remotely on a more permanent basis.
"2022 will be a much more realistic look at what the future of downtown Edmonton looks like."
McBryan pointed out that the DBA's $1 million annual budget is typically put toward the same type of work described in the city's vibrancy strategy.
"And then there's of course all the private sector support," she said. "A lot of our large employers downtown are very keen to also play a part in this.
"I think there are other partners who have a very vested interest in the success of downtown Edmonton."
'IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT'
The DBA executive director echoed the city's sentiment that attracting people back to the downtown core will be key to rebooting the area.
"I don't know that enough Edmontonians realize how major a role downtown plays in funding services and the operation of the entire city," said McBryan.
According to McBryan, the area of the DBA makes up eight per cent of the city's entire tax base, while accounting for less than one-half per cent of the geographic area.
"That $5 million investment to retain the prosperity and retain that assessed property value, so that we can still keep contributing the taxes that we do as a downtown," she said, "it's really important."
The city had previously budgeted $271 million for a long list of projects meant to improve its downtown. Funding for the downtown vibrancy strategy will draw from that budget.
"It's going to make a really big difference in the short-term," said McBryan.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israel attacks Iran, Reuters sources say; drones reported over Isfahan
Israel has attacked Iran, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Iranian state media reported early on Friday that its forces had destroyed drones, days after Iran launched a retaliatory drone strike on Israel.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.