Downtown Fredericton Boundary Change: What Could It Mean for Business?
Downtown Fredericton is proposing the City of Fredericton expand the boundaries of the downtown business improvement area to reflect the true nature of the area and prepare for future growth.
The current boundaries are from the centre line of Brunswick Street northward to the St. John River and from the centre line of Smythe Street eastward to the centre line of St. John Street.
The proposed changes would have the north boundary remain the St. John River. The proposed east boundary is the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge. The Government House on Woodstock Road would be the west boundary, and the mid-block between Brunswick and George Streets, including the blocks from Sunbury to St. John Streets, will be the south boundary.
The recommendation to expand the business improvement area boundaries was part of the 2014 Fredericton City Centre Plan, which provides detailed information about sidewalk and parking lot design, downtown land use patterns and more. The document is expected to guide the development of Fredericton’s downtown core for the next 25 years.
Bruce McCormack, the general manager of Downtown Fredericton, said the planned expansion will allow businesses around the current boundaries, like the Boyce Farmers’ Market, Science East Science Centre and Gallery 78, to officially be included in the business improvement area.
All non-residential users in the defined geographical boundaries of downtown are automatically members of Downtown Fredericton by virtue of their location. Downtown Fredericton is a non-profit business improvement area that advocates for its members and also provides services like advertising, economic development initiatives, urban design consultation and physical improvement programs to them. The organization is funded by property tax levies paid by all non-residential property owners or tenants within the area’s boundaries.
McCormack said the area doesn’t currently have any space to accommodate future businesses.
“To me, we’re healthy. All the spaces that we have are filled, and that is great. But we’ve got the potential to expand,” he said.
McCormack adds that the expansion will open up more space for businesses to have storefronts in downtown Fredericton.
Victoria Boer, the owner of a boutique called Urban Threadz – which will be included in the new boundary – says she is unhappy with the planned expansion because extra money will have to come out of her pocket for the property tax levy that funds the business improvement area.
“As a small business, a really small business, with a tight [profit] margin, if we all of a sudden have to pay higher property taxes, because now they decided to expand their region and charge us more taxes, that’s a really difficult thing for us,” said Boer.
Boer said she doesn’t think the expansion will necessarily bring more people to her business because her store is located away from the heart of downtown, although her location is already considered by many people to be part of that area.
“My business, you have to find me. It’s a driving location. You are not walking downtown and seeing my store… We feel like we will be funding the businesses on Queen and York Streets to become more successful,” said Boer.
Germaine Pataki-Theriault, the managing director of Gallery 78, said she is still undecided about the proposed changes, but she believes that officially being a part of the downtown will bring benefits to the gallery.
Lieff Salonius, the director of development and communications of Science East Science Centre, said she believes the expansion will increase the diversity of Downtown Fredericton, which will make it more of a destination.
“Making the downtown more of what there is to see and to do and promoting it can only benefit us… I think the businesses working together will create a package of opportunity,” said Salonius.
Downtown Fredericton will invite all property owners and tenants to a public meeting on Jan. 31 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza to discuss the purpose of the project and answer questions. At the meeting, the property owners will have an opportunity to vote on whether or not to approve the planned expansion.
If approved by the non-residential users, a draft budget will be forwarded to the city council. The bylaw process will then go into effect, including advertising the proposed budget and hearing date of objections.
If the proposal is approved by city council, it will then be forwarded to the Minister of Environment and Local Government for approval before Dec. 31, 2017.