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Free parking for business areas could be much-welcomed stimulus Rob Burton Mayor of Oakville My View 7 | Friday, April 25, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com C ouncil and I have been working for years to strengthen, and set up for greater success, each of our three historic business districts. This severe winter has elevated our belief in the importance of this work. Each of the three business districts operates under different local circumstances and with a customized set of Town-led initiatives to assist their success. Bronte has free parking and a `business improvement plan' created in collaboration with our Economic Development department. Kerr has paid parking and a council-approved Community Improvement Program by our Planning Department. Downtown Oakville has paid parking and the Downtown Oakville Heritage District façade improvement plan devised by Heritage Planning. Each district also has council-approved assistance from staff for the public events it has planned this calendar year. Now, both the Downtown Oakville and the Kerr Village business districts are requesting free parking programs to assist in kick-starting efforts by its members to recover from the worst winter in living memory. I support these requests. We need to pay special attention to the unique challenge ahead for Downtown Oakville. It has to prepare for and survive the reconstruction and renewal of its roadbed and streetscape, occurring over a two-year period starting in 2016. That was one reason council launched the Downtown Study last year to create plans for renewal of the Downtown Cultural Hub and the streetscape in co-ordination with the road and sewer work required for 2016 and 2017. You see, council had recognized five years ago the Downtown Oakville area needed strategic attention. In August 2010, it approved a 12-point Downtown Oakville Strategic Action Plan. To date, we have completed key initiatives such as the Downtown Oakville Heritage District Plan and the acquisition of the old post office property. Work continues this term on the remaining objectives. Four parts of the 12-point work plan approved by council recognized renewal and rejuvenation will enhance Downtown Oakville. Parking was also identified in the council work plan as an area for improvement. As the work has been progressing it has been overshadowed by the attention attracted by recent reports on the impacts of the severe winter. It now appears we may need to escalate both the work and the communication of our work to help businesses more immediately and assure more people know what is being done. Therefore, on Monday, I will ask Town council to request a two-part report as soon as possible from staff to provide council with: · A work status outline with updated recommendations for measures of short, medium and long term assistance with the necessary communications plan · A master plan document to serve as a comprehensive reference tool to tie together all of Council's initiatives for the BIAs A special need for our downtown is a comprehensive road map for the next six years, expressed in the three successive, two-year periods ahead for the Downtown Oakville BIA that can be thought of as: · 2014 and 2015 -- recovery by the business districts from winter with such measures as staff may recommend and council may approve (such as a free parking program) · 2016 and 2017 -- renewal of Lakeshore roadbed, pipes and streetscape with such construction impact mitigation and other measures as staff may recommend and Council may approve · 2018 and 2019 -- rejuvenation and marketing of the Downtown Oakville district with such marketing and other measures as staff may recommend and council may approve Public input will be sought and welcomed by staff and council as we work together to get the original Downtown Oakville and our other districts to a new level of success and vitality we can all enjoy. 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