Should downtown Squamish expand to a wider area including the two nearby malls?
That’s the question on the minds of Downtown Squamish Business Improvement Association (DSBIA) members after a presentation at the Howe Sound Inn on Monday.
Acting president Glenn Davies said the idea is to renew the association and also to move its borders to include Third Avenue, Village Green Way, the Chieftain Centre including Save-on-Foods and Station Square Mall, anchored by Nester’s Market.
Davies says the expansion will bring more revenue to the association and makes sense to shoppers. “A majority of people in our community believe when you turn off 99 to Cleveland, you’re downtown.”
He suggested the DSBIA could erect a gateway entrance near the highway to attract motorists downtown. “All these people driving to Whistler and back will say, wait a minute, there is something in there.”
He also expects that, once the Oceanfront is developed, downtown will become “a drive-thru to get to that area,” so signage and branding will need to be in place.
Branding downtown is important not just to merchants but to everyone in Squamish, Davies said. “We want the community to believe that their downtown is vital. It’s the heart, the hub.”
Susan Chapelle, a councillor with a business downtown, questioned whether malls should be included in Downtown Squamish. “Doesn’t that take away from the small businesses on Cleveland Avenue when you take in a mall?” she asked.
DSBIA members and landlords will vote on the matter by mail in the spring, and anyone who does not return their ballot will be deemed to support the expansion.
