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Downtown
- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
policyenthusiast
Senior Member
Higher density parkades are important for getting people into DT. It may be an eyesore, but it's leaps and bounds better than yet another 60-car surface lot which no one uses after 6:00pm.
IanO
Superstar
The rest of RHW certainly needs a refresh to match or replicate much of what Enbridge Centre has brought to the area, but I'm still of the belief that it can be a shared space and that we simply need to make the area more desirable, safer and at times closed to traffic to expand patios, but not necessarily on the daily.
TAS
Senior Member
When you say much more of this, it's agreed. But what downtown areas outside of RHW and 104St do you see as best opportunities (or missed opportunities so far) for a similar experience right now?
Gus Haynes
Active Member
Whenever I walk through RHW, it's not choked with cars or traffic, generally. And of the traffic that is there, it's generally very low-speed. So I think the status quo is fine.
policyenthusiast
Senior Member
IanO
Superstar
There are 3 patios across the street that face it and are rarely full.
Pop up patio under it?
policyenthusiast
Senior Member
Maybe, but I think it's more a problem with a lack of attractions. Loosening the requirements for mobile vendors is something I've wanted to see for a long time, having features like food carts, farmers markets, new murals, etc. in this area would help it have its potential realized IMO.
TAS
Senior Member
Do we need the DBA to take a greater role advocating and proposing some of these ideas and maybe downtown CL?
Or is it Skyrise Forum?
policyenthusiast
Senior Member
Even if the DBA and Council weren't both transitioning leadership, getting a motion passed to get Admin to prepare options reducing the red tape around mobile vending in Downtown is something that would likely take years before any of those options are implemented. After any new regulations are in place, it would take several more years before a market develops among street vendors, if one formed at all.
But hey, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, and the second-best time is today. Here are the current requirements for vendors:
Exclusion zones (city-wide, not just DT) block vending:
- Within 40m of a “brick and mortar” (private property) food establishment, measured from the nearest point of the Vending Unit to the nearest public entrance to the food establishment or entrance of the building in which the food establishment is located.
- Within the parking lots of City owned recreational centers unless otherwise granted permission in writing by Facilities Management.
- Within a radius of two city blocks of a special event or festival, unless the Vendor has been included and approved to participate in the special event or festival.
- Within a radius of two city blocks of any farmers market, including Old Strathcona Farmers Market, unless the Vendor has been included and approved to participate in the farmers market.
- Within a radius of two city blocks of City Hall or Churchill Square, unless the Vendor has been included and approved to participate in a special event or festival at these locations.
- On streets or sidewalks adjacent to, or on the lands of, Law Courts or other provincial or federal buildings (e.g. Legislature grounds, Canada Place).
- On streets or sidewalks adjacent to residentially zoned property or within residential communities, unless:
- The Vending Unit is continually moving (e.g. a roving ice cream novelty truck or bicycle cart) and does not set up in a stationary location, or
- The Vending Unit is included in a permitted neighborhood special event.
- Within the Transportation Utility Corridor; this area is administered by Alberta Transportation.
- At Edmonton Transit Centres or LRT Stations; these areas are administered by Edmonton Transit.
- Within 10 meters of an LRT Station pedestrian access point.
- Within 5 meters of a driveway or vehicle access.
- Within 400 meters of any school unless the school has invited the Vendor to their location and written permission has been obtained from the school principal. Proof of permission may be requested.
- Within 5 meters of a bus stop, crosswalk, intersection, fire hydrant, or emergency access route.
If you ask me, Council should shoot straight through this bylaw. Approve "green zones" Downtown for mobile vendors, and let anyone with a business license utilize the spaces as long as they don't obstruct foot/auto traffic. Simple as that.
Kosy123
Senior Member
TAS
Senior Member
An outdoor cafe space set up in new park would be good, too. Again the views of dt will be great.
David A
Senior Member
On the surface this sort of seems like a good idea, especially when you look at all the empty store fronts, but food and beverage places have mostly held their own downtown, in large part due to the Arena and ICE District.
Unfortunately, it is almost everything else that has closed. I don't see a mobile vendor setting up to sell shirts and shoes or hardware, which is really the retail gap downtown now, but perhaps someone would.
Gronk!
Senior Member
Canada Place
policyenthusiast
Senior Member
Interesting how a building that's so immaculately maintained can still look so dated.