downtown for everyone

7 downloads 226 Views 4MB Size Report
investments that make London's downtown a destination of choice and an ... London Knights sold out 95% of their games ov


“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” JANE JACOBS | The Death and Life of Great American Cities

A Note on

WHO WE ARE Team Downtown

London Downtown Business Association exists to represent the interests of member businesses, ensure retention and maintain the public realm. MainStreet’s mandate is the overall improvement of the core, including recruitment and revitalization.

Our Role

and Mission Catalyst, connector, champion Our mission is to steward the levy paid by member businesses by leading and championing programs and investments that make London’s downtown a destination of choice and an economic center that supports the entire community. Our Four Strategic Goals are: 1.  Place Making 2.  Unapologetic Advocacy 3.  Marketing and Engagement 4.  Leading, Connecting, Catalyzing

Downtown London will remain non-partisan through the election. We are hosting this debate to ensure voters and the candidates are aware of the return on investment in London’s downtown.

WHY PLAN A strong local economy requires a first-class urban core. Full stop. Downtowns are a fundamental incubator of creativity and the engine of modern economies. Thirty years ago, many Canadian cities forgot this, instead investing in sprawl and stalling the connection of people to this important place. London was among these communities. Our path to recovery and toward a best-in-class downtown began nearly two decades ago, and continues strong today.

Our guide on

How to Save Downtown.

Covent Garden

Market

$17 M



“Downtown is London’s cultural heart, economic centre and the original neighbourhood. It must be a people place and investment needs to encourage a vibrant public realm. The Millennium Plan generated $100 million investment and the success has been tremendous.” OUR MOVE FORWARD LONDON’S DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN (2015)

PROGRESS TO BUILD ON Imagine a savings account where you get $5 back for every one dollar deposited. That’s the promise of a thriving core. London’s downtown contributes 5% to the tax base but makes up less than 1% of land. It equals more than $1 billion in taxable assessment, which is up 61% in the past decade. It is growing an average of 6% year after year. That includes…

ECONOMIC GROWTH $3 private investment for each $1 of public investment since 2001 • 

More than 1,000 building permits issued since 2001

• 

Average of 11 new businesses downtown annually since 2006

• 

$170 million private sector investment in residential

• 

$1.7 million invested in incentive programs by the City over past five years (only $29,000 were grants. The majority was repayable loans)

• 

More than $1 million in grants and tenant improvement loans invested by MainStreet London in new or expanding businesses

WORLD-CLASS EXPERIENCES Attractions like the World Figure Skating Championships, Memorial Cup, Country Music Week, and Juno Awards • 

Budweiser Gardens ranked #1 Top Stop of the Decade in Canada, #2 in North America and #3 in the world by Venues Today

• 

London Knights sold out 95% of their games over the past decade, bringing over 9,000 Londoners and out-of-town visitors downtown for each game

• 

London Music Hall expands again in 2018 investing more than $1 million into the venue

FEET ON THE STREET 37% population increase since 1996 (compared to 8% citywide) • 

30,000 weekly visits to Covent Garden Market

• 

100,000 monthly visits to Central Library; and over 1.5 million items borrowed

• 

750,000 annual attendance at Budweiser Gardens

• 

2,000+ students studying at downtown campuses

• 

More than a million visits to downtown festivals/events

DOWNTOWN FOR EVERYONE A vibrant downtown benefits everyone •  7,000+ residents –  53% of downtown residents travel to work by means other than a car •  55,000+ office workers –  Downtown is home to 32 of the top 100 employers in London

You never stop maintaining your own property… Malls don’t stop investing in their buildings… Now just imagine what we can do next…

FURTHER INVESTMENTS •  Dundas Place –  Phase I under construction –  (#1 transformational project of Our Move Forward: London’s Downtown Plan)

•  Revitalized River Front –  Back to the River –  One River Environmental Assessment –  (#2 & #3 transformational projects)

•  Improved Transit –  (#5 & #6 transformational projects)

CHALLENGES Some of downtown’s challenges include: • 

Poverty and Addiction

• 

Transportation Equity

• 

Housing

• 

Managing Growth (construction, disruption)

• 

Changing Retail Landscape

• 

Increased and changing demands on operations, waste removal, snow removal, police services, and social assistance partners



“Downtowns have integral, central roles in the life of the wider city. All across Canada they offer employment, important retail opportunity's, and are receiving investment and renewed interest by younger generations to ‘live, work, and play downtown’. A healthy downtown requires a multiplicity of strong, bold leaders collaborating for a shared vision.” The Importance of Investing in Canadian Downtowns, Canadian Urban Institute.