Westminster Avenue and Martin Street are the first of Penticton's streets to undergo construction as part of the city's revitalization plan.
(MEAGHAN ARCHER / iNFOnews.ca)
April 04, 2014 - 2:59 PM
PENTICTON - Downtown Penticton streets are getting a much needed facelift and city staff wants to add a little extra touch to storefronts to ensure the streets stay vibrant.
The Downtown Revitalization Plan kicked off in February with construction projects along Westminster Avenue and Martin Street in downtown Penticton. Landowners along the streets, most of whom are local business owners, had to pay a fee to the city to help fund the construction happening on the sidewalks outside their shops.
The city says it “receives limited revenue from business owners on Martin Street for the use of sidewalk space…(and) it is not recommended that the business owners pay for the use of the newly created space, where it is proposed as temporary use.”
The Storefront Use Bylaw is on the agenda for Monday’s City Council meeting so council and staff can discuss the many options proposed for local business owners affected by the revitalization construction.
Under current bylaw, storefront owners are limited to how they use sidewalk space. For example, there is a limited number of sidewalk cafes allowed per street.
During preparation for the revitalization plan, owners said they wanted permission to use public spaces fronting their business as they wished.
Currently there are fees ranging from $100 to $700 for use of sidewalk seating, but the proposal says “no fees will be charged for those wishing to make an application for a storefront use along the new Downtown revitalization streets as an incentive to make the most of space that has been created.”
To contact the reporter for this story, email Meaghan Archer at marcher@infotelnews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014