ADob
Active Member
Well, that was a brilliant strategy on the part of the City. Just brilliant.
|
|
|
Downtown
- Thread starter Daveography
- Start date
scyeg
Active Member
Really frustrating. Will the city even gain anything because of this in the end? Sounds like a lot of places are just making their patios smaller or just foregoing them altogether in order to avoid the fee. So, a few will pay the $3700, but mostly we'll just miss out on patio spaces, and more vibrancy downtown/whyte. Is it too late for the city to change their minds on this?
policyenthusiast
Senior Member
Admin even told Council that this would be a stupid decision, but they went ahead with it anyway. Adding punitive fees to an encouraged behaviour makes that behaviour discouraged.
Genuinely incredible.
Genuinely incredible.
northlands
Senior Member
Member Bio
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2019
- Messages
- 2,790
- Reaction score
- 11,776
- Location
- The trenches (Downtown)
I get the front end logic of 'private use of public space should have a cost', but man it's identical to the past Council decision to cull free downtown parking on Sundays/evenings: complete and utter lack of consideration for context and nuance that puts them entirely at odds with the literal HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS they are also spending to improve downtown.
TAS
Senior Member
As poor as a decision as this may be, do those 40 extra seats that the Commons could have with the license (60 vs. 20 throughout the patio season) not amount to $3,700 in extra business profits when all costs, staffing etc are factored in?
I mean the fact they are not keeping the 40 extra seats leads me to believe they would be losing money if they had to pay $3,700? You always hear margins are tight in restaurant business and I guess this illustrates it.
IanO
Superstar
In chatting with a couple folks, it's not anywhere as lucrative as folks thing given the short season, amount of disorder pushing people away or inside.
Kosy123
Senior Member
Pretty good news Q1 from Cushman & Wakefield. Bredin confirmed moving to First & Jasper from CN Tower and MNP expanding its presence? Good momentum.
IanO
Superstar
Stalled recovery: Safety Is the foundation of downtown revitalization. - Business In Edmonton
Downtown Edmonton is trying to come back. Businesses are open. Workers are returning. Investment is active. There is effort on every front. And yet, recovery has stalled. As I enter my fifth year serving on the Downtown Revitalization Coalition (DRC) and my second as chair, I have seen both the...
businessinedmonton.com
Dubas
Active Member
Dear god. This entire council is beyond saving. Still shocked so many incumbents got in last election. I can't think of a single issue they've handled correctly. Just embarrassing
David A
Senior Member
I do not agree with the fee increase and it is probably not helpful for downtown venues still struggling, but it seems like most of the time many these patios were empty.
So perhaps smaller patios that are filled more often would be better and also appear better than larger often empty spaces.
So perhaps smaller patios that are filled more often would be better and also appear better than larger often empty spaces.
scyeg
Active Member
Some of these places have no idea how to operate a patio or just don't care enough to make use of them. Last summer I was DT with my daughter mid-week on a beautiful summer day at lunch hour and we stopped by Jinya on 109. When I asked to be seated on the patio they just told me, "No, we don't use the patio unless we're full and we need to." Tables were all set up, and even the umbrellas were open, but they refused to seat us there, even after saying we'd prefer to sit outside. Very bizarre.
ADob
Active Member
Or Dosc on 104 St that for a chunk of last summer didn't even bother to set up their patio during market days!!!
Last edited:
TAS
Senior Member
Don't be too embarrassed or hard on yourself for not being able to think of just one.
Maybe next time somebody asks about an issue they've handled well you could mention the new tax on derelict commercial buildings as a result of the success of the residential program that removed a significant number of problem properties and reduced fires. Several other cities are looking at that now. Just go with that one.
TAS
Senior Member
Yes, that one puzzles me, too.
policyenthusiast
Senior Member
Yep, it's at the stage where the UPC is looking into amending the MGA to enable greater proliferation of that policy (while also crippling the Canmore one), and other provinces are reviewing their equivalent legislation to allow for punitive tax subclassing on derelict properties. Ashley Salvador really knocked this one out of the park.
Aaron Paquette's proposal to establish a sovereign wealth fund (like a municipal counterpart to the Heritage Fund) is also promising, but very very slow-moving.