Town & Country

4 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY APRIL 20, 2019 B R A N D O N Margaret Laurence Home Open Daily May 18 to Sept. 2 10–4 pm Off-season by appointment (204) 476-3232 website: margaretlaurencehome.com email: mlaurence@gmail.com 312–1st Avenue Neepawa, Manitoba HAMIOTA: A SAFE & AFFORDABLE COMMUNITY TO CALL HOME! We offer: Daycares, Nursery, Elementary & High Schools with many extra-curricular programs. *Medical with ER and Hospital, Dental Clinic, Wellness Centre, Pharmacy, Seniors' Home *Skating & Curling Sports Complex, Playgrounds, Park with world class baseball diamonds, and Nature Trails. Enjoy those hot summer days at the Full-service campground & book swimming lessons @ 204-764- 3050 ext. 106. Visit the 9-Hole Golf Course and Clubhouse. All amenities are within walking distance. *Thriving business sector and industrial park. *Active Arts Centre with regular classes, gallerygift shop and exhibitions. FUN Painting Parties! FAST and AFFORDABLE internet ~ Fibre Optic in Hamiota. Currently we have moving and building incentives, curious?? then just ask??? hamiota.com or email hedc@hamiota.com Hamiota Aquatic Centre DOWNTOWN GOES UPTOWN New energy revitalizing Brandon's core neighbourhood BY JIM TIMLICK I n the not too distant past, it was apparent that down- town Brandon had seen better days. Numerous store- fronts were boarded up and had been vacant for years and most people quickly streamed out of the area once their work day was done. It's a much different story today. Many of those boarded up shops are now bursting with activity, thanks to businesses that have relocated there. That in turn has helped fuel a dramatic increase in pedestrian traffic in the city's downtown core. One of the key drivers of this turnaround has been the work of the Brandon Down- town Development Corp. (BDDC), a non- profit organization tasked with identifying and encouraging investment in redevelop- ment opportunities. Since 2015, the agency's efforts have helped attract 14 new and existing business- es to downtown Brandon and inject new energy into the neighbourhood. "I would argue that there is a renewed sense of optimism in our downtown and the general public is noticing a visible change," says BDDC executive director Elisabeth Saftiuk. "I think that perhaps the most notable el- ement of all this is that we've had significant investment over the past few years and busi- ness owners are choosing to move into the downtown because it's the neighbourhood where they want to be." The BDDC, which receives funding from the City of Brandon, offers a pair of finan- cial incentive programs to help leverage pri- vate-sector investment. The Redevelopment Grant Program encourages building owners and tenants to invest capital in redeveloping downtown properties while the Rent Abate- ment Program aims to recruit businesses by helping to reduce lease rates. The Redevelopment Grant Program pro- vides funding of up to 25 per cent toward the cost of redeveloping a retail space to a maximum of $175,000. "What it has done, which has been criti- cally important, is that it has helped to fill the gap between what a developer is able to pay and the actual cost of redeveloping a space," Saftiuk says. "We have a beautiful stock of character buildings located downtown. The challenge there is that the cost to redevelop these char- acter spaces can be very, very expensive." One of the first projects to receive fund- ing through the program was the SKIN Clinic and Fraser Sneath Coffee in the his- toric Fraser Block on Rosser Avenue. It in turn has spurred a number of other projects, including a massive $3.5-million redevelop- ment of the storied Bass Building, Chez An- gela Bakery and Café, Pirouette activewear and Charleston & Harlow, a candles and scents retailer. Perhaps one of the program's most no- table success stories has been the Prairie Firehouse Restaurant. Located in the for- mer Central Fire Station on Princess Av- enue that was built in 1911, it has become one of the city's most popular go-to desti- nations with everyone from finicky food- ies to bridal parties. "I think that project has been catalytic in transforming that portion of Princess Av- enue. It's become the premiere destination for events in our city," Saftiuk says. Another catalytic project that received funding through the BDDC's redevelop- ment program is Prairie Lofts, a high-end, eight-unit residential development on Rosser. The presence of Prairie Lofts is important, Saftiuk says, because there is a serious need for more residential housing downtown. "Increasing residential density and in- creasing the critical mass of people living downtown is a basic principle of how we're going to get our downtown to turn around," she says. "When you have people living down- town it means … you're activating streets and you're activating public spaces eve- nings and weekends and that's critically important because once you have that you're going to have a higher demand for goods and services downtown." The Rent Abatement Program has also gone a long way in helping make down- town Brandon a more attractive location for businesses. As part of the program, business owners receive two months of free rent per year for up to five years. In return, a business must commit to remaining in a space for a minimum of two years to be eligible. Tour Indoor Cycling, which has par- ticipated in the program since it opened in February 2016, has done so well it recently expanded from one to two studios. "The intent is to help lower lease rates to make it more desirable to locate down- town…and help reactivate retail in the core of our city," Saftiuk says. "It's es- sentially two months of free rent. That's a considerable benefit in terms of incentiv- izing a business to locate downtown versus elsewhere in the city." Saftiuk stresses that the BDDC isn't just about bricks and mortar, though. It recently helped fund construction of a small pocket park on the corner of Eighth Avenue and Princess. It's also been working in conjunc- tion with the Brandon Neighbourhood Re- newal Corp. as part of a public art project that will see the creation of six new murals later this year. "I'm extremely optimistic about what our downtown has to offer in terms of tourism and in terms of a rejuvenated Brandon. I'm really excited about it," she adds. "We have a beautiful stock of character buildings located downtown. The challenge there is that the cost to redevelop these character spaces can be very, very expensive." - BDDC executive director Elisabeth Saftiuk.

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