Monday, May 12, 2014
Downtown Re-Vitalization Bad For Business
District of Tofino said there would be minimal disruption to the businesses along Campbell St during the upgrade for Downtown Revitalization.It was pretty slow for stores there today with people trying to get in the back doors of some retailers.A simple plywood walkway would have allowed pedestrians to access these businesses.It is ironic that the District claims to support small business !!
I've even been shopping at the Co-op less. It just sucks to go downtown. I can't imagine how businesses will lose out on Victoria Day Long Weekend.
ReplyDeleteSame thing happened a year ago to the poor "victims" of progress between 4th and 3rd....... Of course they weren't complaining a month later, when all the work was finished and the sidewalks were thronged with people, and the cash registers were ching-chinging all summer long.
ReplyDeleteI wish I owned one of these "poor abused" businesses, with someone else paying to put a brand new front yard in front of my premises....... just a couple more weeks, and then the bucks are gonna come rolling in.
dasunmeAre you kidding? The OCP clearly states the downtown commercial core must be sensationalized at any cost. those rinky-dink businesses sitting in the dirt for years are now rockstar attractions. the park is now a rock star. the OCP also says from now on downtown will have both feet in the trough.
ReplyDeleteit's all good right? just look at the OCP all this stuff is mandated. minor inconveniences like building are to be expected. what's wrong with you negatories?
and as can be expected there's lots of art on those brand spanking new streets. lots of local public art that this community can be proud of.
whats under your streets is what your town should be proud of.biosphere with no sewer treatment you should be embarresed.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of the OCP, it just shows to go you how important public input is in the process of planning and putting together an OCP.
ReplyDeleteit's all good that all the goodwill good energy time etc. that was spent by the well-meaning citizens of this community is completely thrown out the window by the new qualicum/tofino look.
did someone mention ' fishing village look'?
so much for the value of public process and the public's input.
we will see the same raping of Main Street by the consultants who, despite paying lip service to the stupid public, will do whatever they feel like doing.
and once it's done it won't be changed.
and yes the biosphere, ego-trust, and all of you environmentally sensitive people need to be embarrassed and ashamed that we dump raw sewage into the pristine waters of clayquot sound while we spend millions putting lipstick and mascara on the streets. while pooping in our own cornflakes
if anybody of any power gave a crap sewer treatment would have been in place years ago. its not flashy and any of the district staff cant make a name for themselves on it. new streets and paths and parks that is what needs to be done.in the real world you start from underground up but not tofino just keep saying theres no money. send your crap to the ocean and look like idiots.
ReplyDeleteThis place is just looking "manufactured"...its' not evolving, its' just catering..."more" service, doesn't mean "better" service.. What charm and promise there used to be is
ReplyDeleteGONE....forever....carriage rides down Campbell
I do not like the rock walls on the playground side at all. Ugly, industrial and maybe unsafe.
ReplyDeleteThe rock walls are GREAT!!! 5000 years ago, the Egyptians, Greeks, and Eutrustians built rock walls, and the things have endured centuries of wars, weather, social upheaval, natural disasters...... that's really getting a bang for the buck!! Tsunami?? Who cares? Tofino's rock walls will stand as a historical monument for the millenia...... We may all perish, the weeping cedar woman will be long decayed and gone, but our rock walls shall stand as an eternal testament to the enduring legacy of RMI funds, downtown revitalization, and design consultancy.
ReplyDeleteOne day, thousands of years in the future, archaeology students of the future, digging at the site of present day Campbell Street will unearth these marvels and wonder "Who the F**k were these people, and WHAT were they thinking?" (this could once again put Tofino on the map as a tourist destination, like folks travel to the Acropolis and Colliseum today!)
There's no way of knowing, for sure, how much benefit these rock walls will eventually bring to our town....... but I'm betting it's gonna be huge!!
This is my first time commenting on this blog, though I have followed it closely, as I do council business. It seems that this project was supposed to be pretty close to done by May long weekend. I'd like to know if we are on the project timeline and budget. Think NOT..! A ten year resident is not happy...
ReplyDeleteKind of hard to dislike something that is not finished yet. Come on folks....give it a chance. Let them finish and then have an opinion. Otherwise, you end up looking like another Tofitian who hates everything. Change is always painful but hopefully the end product will be worth it.
ReplyDeleteI always loved the special character of Tofino. It used to have that old world charm and it marched to its own beat. Now Tofino is losing its own identity. I intensely dislike the trend to turn it into a sterile, modern place that looks like everywhere else. I never cared for the Conradi building or The Shore. If I want that kind of environment I visit Vancouver. Now we will get the manicured sidewalks and flowerbeds to boot. The destruction of a wonderful place has begun and sadly it is time for me to move on. Hope there is still a place out there somewhere with that special charm!
ReplyDeleteIt's not really about tofino. People come to visit not because of the side walks and shrubs found in downtown, they come for the beaches, the whales, salmon and scenery. I doubt very much people come to tofino just so they can take in the cozy coastal community feel of Campbell street (4th St to 1st). For those of you who are sad to see the character of good old tofino disappear, that left close to 20 yes ago. After so many years of hundreds of thousands of tourists and a real estate market that is unattainable by most there is a new character emerging. The section of camp ell that has been replaced was terrible and was dangerous especially during the summer, it had to be replaced. I know so does the sewage system and fire hall but we are talking about rmi funding, if awe want to fix the sewage I would recommend imposing a large fee onto the tourists and start a fund. Point being, this road work was a gift horse, after the round about fiasco at Chester man's if we had given this opportunity up the tofino municipality would likely have looked like a poor business partner. Maybe once this project is done someone might see us as a good partner and we can start to look at options for sewer.
ReplyDeleteI think if we wanted giant models of fishing boats and overhead Arbors 9th the new side walks and who knows what else that would give tofino it's character back the bill would have been ridiculous. What we have is functional and affordable.
I am however frustrated with th loss of green space. I think this needs to be replaced, if not at the downtown park then tofino owes it to us to give us back some green space, there is already so little of it around the downtown core.
The project really needs a couple of white lion statues like the ones at Bingo Bay at Sproat Lake to fully complete the theme.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe miniature Weeping Cedar Woman directional signs on every corner...?
ReplyDelete