The Blue Agave Forum: The Blue Agave Forum -> The Mumpsimus Blog

I was surprised there was any debate let alone opposition, over the request to provide free parking downtown during the reconstruction of the main street, last Monday. After all, as nice as the revitalization will be when it's finished, the construction is having a massive impact on downtown businesses. No one can drive through the centre block, nor park on it. For the first two weeks, the fencing separated east and west sides of the street, which further dampened sales.

Council should be doing everything it can to relieve the pain we caused. The vote, while not close, was 7-2, with Deputy Mayor Cooper and Councillor McNabb voting against.

People have been staying away from the downtown, unsure if businesses are open or where to park. I've personally spoken to at least a dozen customers in my store who admitted that, since construction began, they'd stopped going downtown. So where are they shopping? Elsewhere - the malls, big box stores, or even going to Wasaga Beach and Barrie. The downtown is hurting.

And of course there's the recession. Despite governmental claims that it's over, it can still be felt here. I haven't found a single Collingwood business person who says sales have recovered to previous years' levels.

There is a...

When the designs for the downtown revitalization were first presented, it seemed like a good idea to have the restaurant patios separated from the storefronts, with a wider pedestrian walkway between patios and the buildings.

After all, it seemed to make sense to create an accessible, comfortable pedestrian zone that was clearly delineated.

Now, after several negative comments from downtown business and restaurant owners*, I've changed my mind. There were considerations I had not been aware of, and after some thought, the concerns raised make it clear that the new design, while perhaps more convenient for pedestrians, would be difficult, if not disastrous, for the restaurateurs.

The plan proposes to widen the sidewalk. In doing so, the patios will be moved away from the restaurants towards the street, 1 metre from the curb. One metre from the storefronts will be reserved for sandwich-board (A-frame) signs and marketing materials (tables during sidewalk sales for example).

But here's what some restaurant owners are now saying this will cause (these are from a letter sent to council by downtown restaurants):

Quote