Downtown Looking Up? One Man's Opinion

Wednesday, October 18, 2006 03:45 AM

City Center Ventures tried earlier this week to paint a rather rosy picture of the down town. They even succeeded in getting a couple of boosters, Mayor Kinsley and Don Zurowski, to buy into the idea saying things are really looking up.

There remains one slight problem, they aren’t. To be sure, and the presenters neglected to get this information, office rentals have been on the increase. That feat comes largely due to the efforts of those renting and promoting the office space which in spite of the other downfalls of the core remains up to date.

Instead of crowing about a few restaurants that have opened, some new retail that for the most part has moved from one side of the area to another, the City Centre Ventures should have been seeking the City councils input into what must be done to make the area a place were people feel safe to go after 9 to 5.

There is a reason why the Brick is moving out of the core and onto highway 16. An area which the city conveniently has turned into the down town shopping area with the stroke of the rezoning pen.

Talking up a farmers market , or for that matter a retail tattoo store just doesn’t even begin to suggest that the core has been “turned around “.

To suggest that what has been taking place down town is good news suggests that those who are making the statement either have their political eyes closed, or they are hoping to smoke the public. The "Metropolis" has been stopped dead in its tracks, why? , is it possible that people don’t want to move into that kind of atmosphere and if that is the case, tell us all why that was not brought up at the touchy feel good meeting at city hall earlier this week?

I’m Meisner and that is one man’s opinion.

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Posted on Wednesday, October 18, 2006 03:45 AM in Views by Ben Meisner

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Comments

Posted by: MrPG on October 18 2006 10:35 AM

Anyone with any common sense and/or eyes can see that the downtown is in bad shape and hasn't gotten any better. The Citizen can write all the rosy articles it wants to, but the public knows the real story.

Posted by: QuasiMe on October 18 2006 10:56 AM

Meisner... your full of it or, full of yourself... once again.

Insinuating things aren't safe downtown 9:00 to 5:00? Gee Ben, what's your real issue here and what's your personal agenda?

Name one thing that has made downtown less vibrant, less livable or more dangerous over the past couple of years.

Posted by: diplomat on October 18 2006 11:42 AM

Meisner said:..."after 9 to 5..." meaning: after you have completed your working day and you are going out for a little entertainment and relaxation.

Posted by: owl on October 18 2006 1:48 PM

"Name one thing that has made downtown less vibrant, less livable or more dangerous over the past couple of years."

It has gone so far downhill over the last two decades that it is difficult to name any .... it has pretty well bottomed out ....

However, over that time period we did loose the Monkey Forest and adjacent store .... there were a few stores lost on 3rd between Victoria and Vancouver .... both of those areas have been replaced with new ventures which will likely not be anywhere near as successful as the Monkey Forest was ......

Present Solutions, a higher end business, was lost and has not been replaced yet .... I do not know how Ruins is doing ... I do know that when they first moved in about 2 years ago they had one glass break-in after another. I mentioned to the owner that she should get laminated glass at the onset ...... she comes from another City and did not believe they would be broken into.

You see, that is the problem .... IPG does not provide an inventory for our perusal .... they do what appears to be an anecdotal rather than objective report .... and people forget .... I know that the above is not a complete list of what was lost nor replaced ..... I do not get paid to do that ... IPG does and as a citizen I expect a better service which does not have politicized, subjective messages ....

Posted by: Chadermando on October 18 2006 2:55 PM

Downtown needs to do a SWOT analasys and formulate their long term plan. That is the first step they have not taken.

Posted by: Jigga on October 18 2006 10:17 PM

They need to move all the social services out of the area and amalgamate them in some type of light industrial area adjacent to the downtown core. Then spend a few bucks to clean up the mess, get bylaws involved with the deadbeat landlords, and hold the business owners accountable for the cleanliness of the area outside their own business.

Maybe then we can look at taking a step forward for new investors and businesses. But until then, people will not exactly be jumping over one another to climb aboard what appears to be a sinking ship.

Hopefully positive change can occur...a turnaround in the downtown core would make PG much more attractive.

Posted by: Foo738 on October 19 2006 12:39 PM

It is like trying to fix a cut when the cut has a huge abscess under it.

What is uglier than the CN? Whatis uglier than First Avenue? How about reclaiming the river and opening up downtown to a vista of parkland?

Posted by: QuasiMe on October 20 2006 9:53 AM

Bottom line... downtown has not deteriorated over the last couple of years... this article / post is Meisner looking for fodder to post on his own web site... truth be damned.