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THE NEW TANNERTHURSDAY, MARCH 01, 2018 3THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, MARCH 01, 20182 By: Harry Rudolfs Councillor Mike Albano admitted that Acton's downtown is hurting. A year since our last inter- view, and there are more vacant stores. And the dowdy section of Mill Street between Willow and John will be even harder hit when the CIBC pulls out in March. But Albano thinks that the Strategic Plan, de- veloped over the last two years by the BIA and Town staff, will be able to turn things around. He's particularly enthusiastic about the "rebranding" strategy outlined in the document. "Many small towns are suffering from the same thing," he said. "But if you look at Elora, they've rebranded themselves and they've found a niche for the town. At one time, we had all the leather stores. That was a niche. Now it's a matter of finding some- thing else." Albano explained that the strategic plan is a multi-year endeavour that will be rolled out in phases. The first step, he said, is to develop a new logo, improve sign- age and increase social media awareness of Ac- ton. "We'll probably be launching a new website at the same time. I just wish we could fill the stores. Once we get the re- branding in place, we can make that happen." "Other stuff like re- placing the mural and planters will have to be budgeted. It will cost money--that's why it's a long-term plan. You can't do everything in one year." Albano suggested one problem is that Acton can't grow because it's surrounded by greenbelt. As well, "This is a bed- room community and many people are probably shopping closer to where they work. There are also the big box stores that are close by and people are also shopping on-line. We have great shops, great restaurants, the problem is getting people down here," he said. Parking is another fac- tor that is often cited as problematic. People driv- ing through town seem reluctant to stop because they see only a few street parking spots on Mill Street or Main. But Al- bano doesn't understand why it's an issue. "We have free parking in Ac- ton at the GO station and downtown. But if you look at the parking lot on Willow Ave. it's always empty," He hopes that the new signage will make it easier for visitors to park. The situation is not completely gloomy ac- cording to Albano. Several shop owners have taken advantage of the match- ing facade grants--up to $12,500--available from the BIA, and fund- ing available from the Community Improve- ment Program (CIP). There are also some new businesses opening up to replace the ones that have left, he added. "There's a law firm moving in where the Stardust Cafe was, and somebody's opening up where Artsy-Phartsy was." Albano also mentioned pop up stores might be a short-term solution: pro- viding low-rental retail spaces on a temporary basis. "One of the things we can actually do is pro- mote the local artist. If we could negotiate some- thing with a landlord on a short-term basis, we can give those artists a place to display their work," he said. "The problem is that many of the landlords don't live in town. We have stores that have been vacant for a long time and one landlord who isn't in- terested in engaging with us," he said. But Albano was not willing to entertain the idea of a vacant storefront tax for those locations that are shabby and continu- ously unoccupied. "You can't do that. You can't tax people on the way they run their business." But ano ther Acton councillor, Clark Somer- ville, doesn't dismiss the idea of a dormancy tax entirely. "I know Oakville is looking at charging va- cant stores. I haven't had a report from them yet." Somerville thinks that the out-of-town land- lords may be out of touch with the rental market. "They're looking that they need 'Y' for their rent and in some cases they have their rent a little too high," he said. "I know one case where they had their rent low to attract businesses and then they jacked it up... But even Erin has vacant stores."www.actonhead2toe.com Regularly $199 By: Alex Hilson Downtown Acton busi- ness owners recently commented on ways to develop the Downtown core and to bring more business into Acton. Leanne Monaghan from Staying Alive Fitness was one such owner. Having been in business for over 12 years, Downtown Ac- ton is home to her. But there are things that she could see improved. "I'm sure I won't be popular for saying this, but our main street lacks heart and soul. Narrow streets and truck traf- fic make it difficult and dangerous to navigate. Having said this, at one time our main street was vibrant and healthy and I believe we have the po- tential to make our way back there again." Monaghan recognizes there's no single solution, but suggests commer- cial taxes are high and a tax break for a five-year period would help the main street grow. Also, incentives for start up businesses. A n o t h e r c o n c e r n is closed storefronts. While there is a Facade Improvement Program fo r bus inesses , t ha t doesn't help stores that are already closed. Frank Gataveckas from Vinyl- and has put some thought into this challenge. "So, if there is a store for a rent, the landlord should be approached by the Town and told 'we have a fa- cade we're going to be putting up for a while.' It can still be 'for rent' but it's going to be the kind of the thing that's going to keep the continuity of the place going." Gataveckas, though new to the block, has other advice for local business owners based on what he sees work- ing for his store. "When I first started the busi- ness, I purposely did the signage and the wash- ing, the cleaning, and the shoveling, which shows there's a caring attitude. There's an interactiv- ity with the people that are walking around out- side and that just brings more people around, and I think activity is a very important thing." B u s i n e s s o w n e r ' s perspective on the future Councillor Albano thinks rebranding is the answer to Downtown woes