yorkregion.com
May 31, 2008, David Fleischer

Downtown’s rebirth grows closer every day

Business Improvement Area plan, restorations combine to create vision

Richmond Hill’s village core has long been in need of revitalization and, in the air and on the ground, real progress is being made.

The performing arts centre, set to open in October, is the centerpiece of a revival that includes Tridel’s upscale Renaissance condominiums and the replica of the demolished, 1880s Lorne Block.

For the last couple of years there was little to see of the site except construction hoarding. Before that, was a dilapidated white building.

“She just looked like a shoddy, old prostitute. She had seen better days,” said Penny Parmenter, president of the Society of Citizens for Old Richmond Hill.

The building served as the first meeting place for Richmond Hill’s village council, operating as a fire hall, a pool hall and a bank before reaching an ignominious end as an adult video store.

When Mayor Dave Barrow’s family first moved to Richmond Hill, when he was an infant, they lived in an upstairs apartment, Ms Parmenter said.

With so much history, it was a blow when the distinctive, gabled building had to be torn down.

The society encouraged the building’s owners to build an appropriate replacement and they are delighted with the result, which even goes so far as to incorporate bricks from the original.

“I feel they did a wonderful job,” Ms Parmenter said.

The owners are now seeking tenants and Ms Parmenter hopes there will be something more appropriate to a nascent theatre district than what has gone before.

“A smart, upscale coffee shop would be great,” she said.

Trying to encourage business development in the area is the goal of another group of local residents who are already hard at work.

At their May 12 meeting, council directed staff to take steps toward establishing a Business Improvement Area in the village core. It is spearheaded by Calvin Ho, owner of Big Boss Computers and a member of the town’s Downtown Task Force.

The town has been extremely supportive of his efforts to improve the district, he said.

In a BIA, businesses in a defined area contribute to a central fund used for a variety of initiatives, including beautification and events.

In Toronto, for example, The Taste of the Danforth is organized by that area’s BIA.

Mr. Ho said he expects the town’s report to come back in July and after that to begin seeing which businesses object to the establishment of the association.

The BIA must be designated by a town bylaw, but dies if one-third of businesses in the area object.

If that threshold is not reached and the BIA is created, every business in the area must join and pay their share.

While some large business owners have not been tracked down, Mr. Ho was optimistic there would not be enough objections to stymie their efforts.

“The general feelings are very positive and very supportive,” he said.

They already plan to have a booth at the Heritage Village Day and Canada Day celebrations.

Local restaurants and other businesses are seeking ways to key off the October opening of the performing arts centre and while much is up in the air, there is a lot to look forward to, Mr. Ho said.;

BIAs in York Region:
KLEINBURG BIA
MAIN STREET MARKHAM
MAIN STREET UNIONVILLE
STOUFFVILLE COUNTRY VILLAGE
DOWNTOWN NEWMARKET BUSINESS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

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