Keith Loiselle shows a planning map of Elgin Street. The owner of Woody’s Pub is trying to establish a BIA for the street.
Elgin Street’s businesses may be getting a new voice at city hall, as councillors consider accelerating construction that would close down the street.
A steering committee composed of Elgin business owners and managers is trying to create a BIA for the street.
If established, the board of the BIA would collect a levy from business owners for collective projects in the area, such as seasonal lights or advertising. The organization would also serve as the official voice for Elgin at city hall during any construction planning.
Keith Loiselle, owner of Woody’s Pub and the head of the steering committee, says he’s been thinking about establishing a BIA for the street since 2010, his first year in business there.
“Elgin specifically is sitting on the doorstep of millions, tens of millions of dollars,” he said during an interview, surrounded by the spreadsheets, zoning maps and thesis papers that make up part of his research on BIAs.
Elgin is doing okay right now, he says, but with some collective action and a closer relationship with the city, businesses could rebrand the area as a downtown destination on par with the Byward Market.
The city has given the steering committee a $5,000 grant to educate and to conduct surveys on the willingness of the business community to support a new BIA.
Despite attempts over the years to organize support for an official Elgin Street BIA, this is the first time that the venture has reached this step in the process.
Elgin is one of the few areas in the city without a BIA. There are 17 BIAs in the city, representing neighbourhoods such as Chinatown, the Glebe and Bank Street.
Neighbourhoods with BIAs have a special relationship with the city. They are consulted more often on city planning, they are better highlighted in the city’s tourist literature, and they can apply for grants from the city for graffiti cleanup or holiday lighting, says Loiselle.
Brian Karam, owner of MacLaren’s Pub and president of the Elgin Area Business Association, a body that aims to represent the area in a less formal way, says Elgin’s distinct makeup means it simply doesn’t need a BIA the way other areas do.
Karam says the street has a higher proportion of owner-operators than in other areas, which means businesses are likely to take better care of their buildings without needing to pay an annual fee to get things done.
“Elgin Street, I think, because of the owner-occupancy, has never fallen into the disrepair you’ve seen in other areas of the city,” says Karam, indicating that a different kind of management isn’t necessary.
However, others say they want something more, especially given the impending cloud of city construction set to close down the street.
Diane Holmes, city councillor for the area, supports establishing a BIA for Elgin Street.
While the city hasn’t yet set a timeline for replacing the street’s water pipes, it could start as early as this year.
Holmes has said a BIA helps the city understand what businesses want from the redesigning that comes with ripping up the street.
Assad Freije, who runs the Pancho Villa restaurant on Elgin, says a BIA is “long overdue.”
“I’ve been here for a while, and I know over the years there’s been talk, but no one has sort of stepped forward and organized it, and went ahead with it,” he says.
Loiselle seems confident about the future of an Elgin Street BIA. He has already bought the domain name elginstreet.ca.
“I think it’s just a matter of time. All you need to do is educate people,” he says.