Making Sidney’s downtown more vibrant and attractive in the face of growing competition is a key goal for a task force to be led by Mayor Larry Cross.
“Two years ago, I was sounding the alarm with possible large box-store developments to the south of us, and the need for the business community to come together,” Cross said.
Cross was referring to plans for the new 650,000-square-foot Jesken Town Centre on Tsawout First Nation land in Central Saanich. Such large new developments on the horizon are nothing to be afraid of, he said.
“Actually, it’s an opportunity if you look at it the right way. You have to get your mind around the fact that there’ll be hundreds and thousands of individuals brought to the Peninsula who, perhaps, wouldn’t come before, and so our task is get them to come four kilometres further north.”
Last month, more changes to the commercial landscape emerged when North Saanich council approved plans for Sandown Commons, a 160,000-square-foot development with commercial and office space at the site of the former Sandown race track.
Cross said he will be calling on key businesspeople, along with others in the Sidney area, to be part of the task force and its downtown revitalization efforts. Members should be finalized within the next two weeks.
Measures on the table to boost Sidney’s downtown could include anything from general beautification to tax breaks for business improvements, Cross said. Relaxed parking requirements for new businesses are already making their way through the council process, he said.
The task force will listen to input and ideas from individuals and groups, he said.
“There will probably be a forum or two that our task force will set up, and we’ll get the community involved.”
The task force will have 12 members, including Cross and a member of council. Cross said he expects a report will be ready for council’s consideration in September or October.
The hope is that any “low fruit” or relatively easy fixes identified along the way can be dealt with immediately, he said.
As well, he said some steps are already in the works, including an effort to spruce up benches, planters and other “street furniture” on Beacon Avenue.
Council also recently decided to maintain a three-block downtown section of Beacon Avenue as a one-way street. A number of businesspeople favoured returning Beacon to a two-way artery from the Pat Bay Highway to the waterfront, but Cross said the public favoured the status quo.
He said the one-way stretch can be looked at as “a quaint feature of the town.” It has been in place since 1997.
Sidney businessman Steve Duck, a vocal opponent of Beacon’s one-way section, said he hopes to see a diverse group of people working on the task force. He agreed that new shopping centres slated for Central and North Saanich need to be looked at.
“They are part of the puzzle,” said Duck, a member of the Sidney Tourism Improvement Group. “They’re going to happen regardless.”
He said Sidney has to maintain itself as a destination for both residents and visitors.
Another important aspect of revitalization could be co-operation from business on more marketing for the town, Cross said. That could include such things as putting on more sales during Sidney Days celebrations or taking added steps to showcase the Sidney Street Market.
The task force could even delve into the issue of online shopping, Cross said. “What do we have to provide people to encourage them to shop here rather than on the Internet?”
The Sidney Tourism Improvement Group is holding a free public event Wednesday to address the challenges of retailers. The event, which runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Mary Winspear, features appearances by Sidney retail consultant Richard Talbot and Garry Froese, owner of In Touch Cards & Gifts in Sidney.
