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The Acton Free Press Wednesday August 3 1977 Streetscaping on Main St South The revitalization of downtown Acton envisaged the Business Improvement Area report commissioned from An includes these main points Leather theme Streetscaping theme complemented by goods vices could not be the foundi lion of Actons trade however if developed and promoted diligently it could bi come supplement to con ten icnee and- comparison shop ping leather theme is one that has been suggested as offering potential for Acton Possibly more than any other community in Ontario Acton claim to have the most interesting his tory with respect to leather The current importance of leather to the community is reflected by the fact that approximately people are employed directly in the industry The development of this theme could involve the establishment of one or more retail operations specializing in leather products publica Hon of pamphlet outlining both the history of the leather industrv in ind the processes involved from to finished product an annual fair or based on the leather theme the festival involving local leather craftsmen and local leather industries the development of promotional be sold in each down town store ind promotion of as The Leather I own in appropriate region and provincial media In outlets w the three major leather companies in Acton without exception interest and support for the idea was expressed It is therefore hit the Hoard of establish a committee to explore the pos of developing a com program around the leather theme In many shopping areas today both and traditional a concerted effort is being made to better accommodate the pedestrian and to soften the hard faces of the area through the use of plant mitcnal The pedestrian is accommodated through the use of street furniture for benches decorative pedestrian scale lighting and decorative garbage recep tacles while the shopping is rendered more through the use of trees shrubbery and flowers Since the sidewalks within downtown Acton arc too row for the purpose of street scaping the approach of creating sidewalk projections is essential if a substantnl program is to instituted The projections if designed in such a way that they could be placed partially within existing noparking ireas would only a few parking spaces within e block With respect to iffic flow since parking and ire recognized as being thief contributors to triffic he elimination of i few spaces in each should serve to actually expedite traffic flow The concept of the sidewalk projections is fully with the Milton Hills Department and the Ministry of ind Communications Neither party expressed any m objections second streetscaping project may be considered that of pi trees and pi icing street furniture on Street where the side ilk boulevard are wide enough to such imenities Parking Within the business com of downtown Acton parking is perceived to be the fundamental problem How ever two studies of the park situation one conducted in 1973 by the engineering and planning firm of Dillon Limited and the other in 1976 by the Hills Planning Department concluded that with the exception of four blocks there is no inadequacy of parking Summarizing their findings the authors of the Dillon study went so far as to claim no action toward the provision of additional park apace would be warranted by existing conditions Both studies accept however that per cent occupancy of a parking space represents overloading and in both studies this condition was found to be approached in the aforementioned four blocks In recognition of this problem and other problems as sociated with parking dura tion employee parking and illegal parking the following recommendations are made The property and any additional property required to complete a park ing lot from Willow Street to John Street should be quired immediately Studies have noted that most shoppers will only walk approximately feet from a parking space to their first destination The s lot is one of only two alternatives that is within feet of the four blocks experiencing a parking pro blem If the ensuing are followed the to new spaces within the lot should be ade quate to alleviate the highly localized parking problem in downtown Acton On the whole Acton has adequate parking facilities The municipality should rent for a nominal fee upgrade and mark the parking lot behind IGA and the Dominion Hotel Rationale The parking study conducted by the Plan Department found that spaces that could be used for customers are often used by employees due to the fact there was a need for per cent more employee spaces This lot should be designated along with the St lot for employee parking Parking meters should be installed on the spaces within the Trinity United Church lot the new lot and on all on street spaces In the following I oca lions Main Street Church Street to St Alban Street Mill Street Main Street to Frederick Street Willow Street Church Street to Bower Street John Street Church Street to Bower Street Rationale The study pre pared by the Planning Department determined that onefifth to onequarter of the parked vehicles within the study an remained for a minimu of one hour long term of on street spaces by employees is confirmed by the complaints of numerous downtown mer chants The installation of approximately 150 meters in the locations would help to curtail such lonf term use of prime spaces If installation of meters is seen to discourage shoppers then this is reflection upon the quality of the goods vices and shopping environ mentand not upon the meters perse Shopping should be at leist of quality that parking costs become Hal Bylaw Enforcement Officer should be hired jointly on half time basis to police parking in both Acton and Georgetown j Any business including i bus company as well as a downtown enterprise that eliminates parking spaces due to a loading zone should pay a per fool fee for this space The requirement of one parking space per one red square feet of com floor space now enforced by the Zoning Bylaw should be changed to one parking space per three hundred square feet of commercial floor space Rationale As noted ear her the existing land use pat tern within downtowns has little respect for parking re quirements However the present bylaw reflects an over reaction to the parking situation and could have deleterious effects on the development of the down town Notably Interesting redevelopment or rchabllita Hon can be consistently de feated by excessive require ments or alternatively Inte gral structures within the downtown may have to be removed to make way for the parking lot associated with such changes Given that the average for the majority of municipalities examined in the planning department report was one space per square feet of commercial floor space this requirement is likely appropriate for Acton as well 7 Directional signs relating to oil lots available for public use should be in stalled at appropriate loca lions on Mill Street and Main Street Building improvement The buildings within i downtown are the feature Most downtowns arc comprised by older build that afford the potential to an interesting ind distinctive shopping entity however rather than being capitalized upon such is neglected and assumes a dowdy Acton s downtown build ings are no exception to the extent that there is no color coordination between neigh boring building fronts modern facias have been applied to the main level of buildings with no attempt to coordinate such improve ments with the upper storeys there is no attention to detail and trim in fact it is us a detraction rather than a tasteful accent to the build and signs are garish competitive and ill kept It is therefore recommended that the Acton Board of Manage ment undertake a building improvement program that will restore buildings where possible lower and upper storeys ordinate facades the the street introduce discreet sign that mentsthe fundi ind illy color to the build ings It is ilso suggested it bylaw be that will prohibit verhanging signs limit the of f ici signs of the mure fundi mintn dis idvint it downtowns experience in relation to competitive fucili tiesisthi of climate control or protnlion from the elements and a definite of visuil By of a unifying clement such as an uninterrupted with the exception of lanes etc can continuity is greatly en and a degree of climate control is introduced Moreover a canopy would afford color interest and could function a vehicli for signage parking meters pedestrian lighting and street furniture such garbage receptacles small planters It is suggested as noted on the illustration that the canopy be a free standing structure that is unattached to building fronts 75 businesses involved report asks cooperation About 75 businesses are included in the recently established Business Improvement Area bounded on the west by Park on the north by Knox St Alban s and Bower on the east by Eastern Ave and on the south by Agnes and Church The B I A board of management engaged Anthrogram to prepare the study which was re ceived the middle of last week Copies are being circulated to the businesses effected are being given to all parti cipants for them to indicate their priorities in the projects recommended and for them to make comments The go to B I A chair man Henry Stachyra by August The report conceded plazas are more simply operated a dictatorial way However down town areas have many advantages They are not just commercial but social institutional and rec reational Therefore the subversion of self interest animosities and jealousies is lm perative if the downtown is to progress and remaincompetitiveinthefuture It is incumbent upon individual members of the downtown community both property owners and tenants to complement the public efforts of the Business Improvement Area with privately initiated improvements the report states The report includes a map of the BIA area map showing parking explanation of its pur pose an overview of the BIA illustrations a commercial land use comparison with different towns statements on the role of a downtown suggestions on the approach to be taken for the building improvement program suggested wording of a sign bylaw a short study on other farmers markets notes and the survey form to go to all the 75 merchants included in the area Some details taken directly from the report follow Highlights of BI A study on revitalization of downtown Another spot for town improvement Farmers market Welcoming sign A farmers market if located within the downtown area can add the distinctive flavor interest and com inter action that once typified vibrant town a market located the downtown also pro vides an attractive draw for other enterprises In the summer of 1972 a farmers market was operated under an Opportunities For Youth on Willow Street be tween Main Street and Church Street The organ of the market feel it was a success and could have been more so had it been or gam zed by a group of buis ness people rather than dents Had a credible group such as the Chamber of Commerce as is Milton come forward to serve as the organizer the market could have enjoyed growing success The subject of a farmers market was introduced for discussion by Murray at a recent Agricultural Society meeting Although the Soc icty felt it was unable to take a primary role in the of the market it did express interest In the idei and suggested that organizers contact Andy Frank and George Swann for assistance in initiating a market It is therefore that a joint committee the Chamber of Commerce and the Down town Business Association be established to organize a downtown farmers market Store fronts could be coordinated Selected features a the open space the north east corner of Mill Street and Main Street the incc to I A from the south on Highway the recessed in front of the Municipal lliiildinc The Trinity United I lot old Town Hall was observed during this study to lieu prominent feature within the community In recogni of the fact that a is working to restore the struc ture the comments herein are limited to those of noting the import such efforts to welhrt of the down own and suggesting the lowing possible uses community centre for various local groups meeting for local groups including the It I A Downtown in centre op erated by the of Commerce Vacant lot near Mill and Main transformed Bench design Planters garbage container United church parking lot