PUBLIC WILL HAVE ITS SAY Development proposal goes to public hearing
STARS WIN TIME TO CHAMPIONSHIP SPRING AHEAD
Mission atom squad wins both league and playoffs
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DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT Jamie Hayes, executive director of the Mission Downtown Business Association, believes there is plenty of potential for growth, despite a number of vacancies along First Avenue. Hayes said the association KEVIN MILLS PHOTO continues to promote and market the downtown.
Filling vacancies top priority of MDBA Kevin Mills MISSION RECORD
Downtown Mission boasts a collection of shops, locally run businesses, restaurants and other establishments – along with noticeable vacancies. The increasing number of empty buildings has not gone unnoticed by the Mission Downtown Business Association (MDBA). Jamie Hayes, executive director of the MDBA, admits that the vacancies are a concern. However, she says there is still plenty of potential downtown. She also realizes that the challenges now being faced are not unique to Mission and other smaller downtown cores. “Robson Street in Vancouver has
plenty of vacancy as well,” said Hayes, who takes some comfort in that. “But it doesn’t change the fact of what things are. “The fact of the matter is we do have many businesses that have been here for decades. We’ve got a loyal group of people who shop down here on a regular basis, but we are concerned about the vacancies.” Hayes said the association is currently compiling a database of information that will create a list of vacancies, the square footage of empty space and the price per square foot. The MDBA is more than 100 members strong and continues to
promote and market the downtown, plan events to draw people to the downtown, and work to maintain and attract businesses and potential investors. “We try very hard to encourage people to shop local. Some people think, incorrectly, that shopping local is going to be more expensive, and that’s not necessarily the case. “Some people think that the downtown is unsafe, which is completely untrue,” said Hayes. Another challenge is the public’s urge to cross the bridge and shop in neighbouring Abbotsford. Hayes said it has become habit for some people who think other communities have more to offer. “Downtown Mission is so utterly
unique. A lot of people don’t realize what stores are down here.” The MDBA has an “excellent relationship” with the district’s economic development department, and Hayes said she is excited about the incentives being offered to both improve and attract businesses from outside of Mission. Stacey Crawford, economic development officer for the District of Mission, said there are incentives in place to encourage new and current building and business owners to invest in their properties. One example is the property tax exemption. “It is a 10-year program that takes the pre-development property value and effectively freezes it for
five years,” said Crawford. Building improvements increase a property’s value, causing a rise in taxes. The program freezes the tax rate for five years, then gradually increases it to the normal level over the following five years. That incentive is applicable to existing downtown buildings and vacant lots. Another example is the facade improvement program – a grant that will pay 50 per cent, up to a maximum of $2,000, of the cost for street-facing facade improvements. It can be claimed by either the building owner or the merchant. “There’s definitely been a lot of interest in that one. It is definitely
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