Community engagement focused process to continue to drive revitalization efforts
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Coaldale’s recent investments into Main Street recognize the space as the heart of the community and highlights the importance of a vibrant and inclusive downtown to support the Town’s continued growth. Spin-offs from that investment are already visible, with businesses in the area investing in enhancements as the space continues to evolve.
“To build on this momentum, we’ve been exploring the introduction of new initiatives to complement the new upgrades to Main Street,” said Spencer Croil, Director of Planning and Development at the Town of Coaldale. “Our Main Street Action Plan will continue our legacy of substantial public engagement to drive this project, with Main Street businesses and stakeholders invited to explore economic incentives and programming initiatives to further enhance the downtown core.”
The Town’s temporary patio pilot program was the first of many mechanisms to draw more traffic to Main Street.
“The patio pilot was not only an interim solution for extended seating in restaurants during the pandemic – it was intended to activate Main Street by extending the businesses into the public right of way,” said Croil. “The pilot program will help inform the development of a more formal patio policy which will provide more certainty to businesses wishing to open or continue operating seasonal patios, and to surrounding businesses regarding how potential impacts will be managed.”
Other potential programming opportunities might include a downtown farmer’s market, a food truck vendor program, and outdoor family movie nights, to name a few examples.
“We’ll look at several different options and see what works best in the Coaldale context,” said Croil. “It will involve many discussions with local businesses and stakeholders and we’re looking forward to starting dialogue this winter.”
The first steps towards revitalizing Coaldale’s Main Street have been largely successful, however there is still work to be done as the downtown core continues to attract growth.
“As more businesses open in Coaldale or put effort into improving façades, we are looking at developing Downtown Design Guidelines that will help ensure new development follows a consistent design,” said Croil. “These guidelines will identify and encourage certain materials, design features, and colour palettes that complement one another as opposed to a contrived design outcome. This is not meant to mandate exact design standards; rather, the goal is to have cohesive visual appeal in our Main Street while still encouraging each new or renovated business to bring their own touch to the look and feel of their buildings.”
The Town is also considering incentives to cover a portion of redevelopment costs associated with façade or wayfinding improvements, along with a variety of financial or tax exemption programs. These programs would work in conjunction with Coaldale’s existing interest free loan program, which was recently redesigned to be the most generous in the region and is already supporting several projects in the space.
“We’ve been looking at other communities and seeing how their policies can be adjusted to best fit the Coaldale context and continue to provide support for our businesses,” said Cam Mills, Manager of Economics & Strategic Initiatives. “We will take this information back to our community, businesses, investors and stakeholders and see what works best for them.”
“Many other communities with strong downtown centres have formed downtown business associations,” said Croil. “We would like to connect with local business as well as the Chamber of Commerce to explore the potential of forming one in Coaldale to act as a cohesive voice and advocate for improvements and programming in the area. Ultimately, our goal is to build on our relationships with local businesses and stakeholders by continuing with proactive and meaningful communication and offering consistent and ongoing opportunities for engagement and dialogue.”