There are fresh rumblings that Elgin Street merchants may launch a formal business association along the restaurant-lined route.
The most recent effort, by Woody’s Pub owner Keith Loiselle, was an attempt to get the stretch of Elgin between Slater and McLeod streets designated as a business improvement area.
Now, Loiselle says the area may have to be scaled back.
A key obstacle, he says, has been getting some of the larger businesses on the street involved.
“Part of the problem was the north-end buildings didn’t feel they needed to be included in the BIA. We went from having the Bell building on board, to somehow that switching,” he says.
A BIA won’t get approval from city council if more than one-third of property owners who control one-third of the assessed value of the area don’t come on board.
“This puts us in a financial situation where our budget would be quite a bit lower,” he says.
It also means that Brian Karam, owner of The Business Inn, would have a lot more pull in deciding if Elgin gets a BIA. His hotel and sports bar would be one of the most valuable properties still in the area.
In the past, Karam told Centretown News that he doesn’t believe a BIA is needed for the area, because of its distinct makeup.
“Elgin Street, I think, because of the owner-occupancy, has never fallen into the disrepair you’ve seen in other areas of the city,” Karam said then. In an e-mail he said he hasn’t changed his mind.
Loiselle remains positive that he can convince Karam to support a downsized BIA.
“I honestly believe it’s only a matter of time before he helps lead the charge.”
In March 2012, Loiselle received $5,000 from the city to help him form a committee aimed at promoting the creation of an Elgin Street BIA among businesses along the street.
Loiselle says he plans to work on organizing the BIA this winter, during the seasonal slowdown.
He says his next step is to take one more shot at getting the northern towers on-board, and if he can’t do that, he’ll concentrate on promoting a more modest version of the Elgin BIA.