Local Business Owner's Opinions Divided Over Stores to Shores Project
By Eva Brownstein
Store to Shores is a project everyone knew was coming.
But for local businesses located in the 400 and 500 Blocks of Hall Street, change is not always easy to stomach.
“It’s a face lift for a town that needs an enema,” said Andrés Van Stolk, manager of Boom Town Sports, which is located in the 500 Block near the IODE Park.
“We used to be so community oriented, and now we’re catering to tourists,” Van Stolk added of the new plaza being constructed below IODE Park.
The $2.8 million project started to gain traction in July 2014 — when completed, is expected to draw residents and visitors alike to the city’s unique mix of shopping, dining and invaluable waterfront amenity.
Budget for the project is slated to come from a combination of local and provincial government funding.
However, the project did not get off the ground as planned last summer and shovels did not hit the ground until a few weeks ago.
“One has to have a long term vision of positive change,” said Ross McNamara, owner of Gerick Cycle and Ski when asked about the project.
Gerick Cycle and Ski is located across the street from Boomtown, which is currently ground zero of the Stores to Shores Downtown Revitalization project.
Paul Archambault, owner of the All Seasons Cafe, views the construction in a more favorable light.
“Anything they can do to make Nelson prettier is going to help businesses,” said Archambault.
“If it’s good for the town, it’s good for me.”
The eight-month Stores to Shores Project is estimated to be complete by November of 2015 and will convert Hall Street into a continuous corridor linking Baker Street to the waterfront.
Residents can expect a new plaza space to host community events, improved bike infrastructure, trees and greenery, improved sidewalks, more benches along Hall Street, and other aesthetic and functional upgrades to the Hall Street corridor.
According to the City of Nelson, roughly two thirds of the work undertaken on Hall Street is already required as part of the City’s commitment to replacing aging infrastructure and up keeping safe sidewalks, roads, and stairs.
However, not only has the project witnessed crews dig up pipe dating back to the 1930’s but main contractor Maglio Installations have found manholes made of olden-day brick and piping for old gas works.
“When you discover this kind of forgotten underground service with a machine, infrastructure that has been underground for literally a century, you need to back right off and expose a lot of it by hand,” Maglio explained.
“We’ve got to make sure it can be safely removed. And that can slow the process down.”
Watching workers did by hand did not go unnoticed by Van Stolk.
“It looked like more of an archeology dig than commercial excavation,” said Van Stolk as he observed Maglio’s crews delicately removing antique infrastructure.
Although upgrades to the area are much needed, local business owners such as Kate Cormie, manager of Sidewinders Coffee, are stressing about the effects that the extensive construction will have on their businesses.
“I’m concerned about a lack of parking,” said Cormie on the development of the plaza. “I’m very grateful to our loyal customers that are making the trek.”
While concerned business owners worry about reduced parking and difficult access during construction, the city has made concerted efforts to place new signage in the construction zone informing locals and visitors that businesses are still open.
“We’re going to do everything we can to support and advocate for our business community during this project,” said Mayor Deb Kozak.
“After all, it’s the downtown business sector we’re aiming to assistant with the Stores To Shores project itself.”
For more information on the Stores to Shores project, visit nelson.ca/storestoshores and the project’s Facebook page: facebook.com/storestoshores.
