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Banff downtown pedestrian zone gets go-ahead for next summer

In what is sure to be a controversial move, priority will be given to businesses like bars, restaurants and coffee shops over retailers to use outdoor public space, and if there are more tenants in one building than outdoor space available, there may be a lottery.
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Banff's downtown pedestrian zone will go-ahead again next summer. However, outdoor cafés and restaurants won't be allowed to use tents, rather umbrellas to protect patrons from the weather. EVAN BUHLER RMO PHOTO⁠

BANFF – Food and beverage businesses will get top priority to use outdoor public space as part of the tourist town’s downtown pedestrian zone, which is going ahead next summer in anticipation of the COVID-19 pandemic continuing.

On Monday (Dec. 7), council approved the pedestrian zone again next summer on the 100 and 200 blocks of Banff Avenue and Caribou Street to allow people to physically distance and to help struggling businesses.

But in what is sure to be a controversial move, priority will be given to businesses like bars, restaurants and coffee shops over retailers, and if there are more tenants in one building than outdoor space available, there may be a lottery.

Mayor Karen Sorensen said administration has come up with criteria for private allocation of public space that addresses some of the concerns voiced by businesses about this past summer’s process.

“There’s no way we will make everybody happy,” said the mayor during a three-hour special meeting of council on Monday morning.

“There’s no way that it’s going to feel fair to everybody and it puts us in an awkward position.”

In 2020, the commercial space in the pedestrian zone was allocated based on the sidewalk seating policy, and didn’t allow for second-storey and basement level businesses to take part.

“For a variety of reasons, commercial space allocation was a hotly contested issue with many non-participants feeling aggrieved at being excluded,” said Darren Enns, the Town of Banff’s director of planning and development.

In response, administration has come up with a list of criteria for next year for allocation of private use of public space.

Food and beverage businesses will be given first chance over retailers, given the role of restaurants and coffee shops in animating the street, as well as the lower capacity limits and space allowed indoors due to public health restrictions.

While the approach of giving priority to one business sector over another will inevitably evoke debate around fairness, administrative officials say public health and street animation are the principles that should guide decisions.

Enns said the positive feedback on the 2020 pedestrian zone appeared to celebrate the experience of outdoor dining far more than outdoor retail.

“From a public policy perspective, our belief was that we are trying to create a streetscape, which was inviting and animated and one that’s a great visitor experience,” Enns said.

“In our experience it has been the food and beverage use that’s most likely to do that … it seems to be the experience people want to have out on the street.”

Enns pointed to social media photos this summer to illustrate his point.

“It’s usually of someone at a restaurant with Cascade Mountain as the backdrop, and quite frankly, one of the most amazing dining rooms in the world,” he said.

Basement and second-storey food and beverage outlets would be allowed to apply for a permit, unlike last summer when they were prohibited from doing so based on a blanket ban on any but at-grade, adjacent restaurants.

“The theory would be to move through a building in terms of priority throughout all the food and beverage tenants first, and then move onto retail and other activities second,” Enns said.

In addition, eating and drinking establishments will be also allowed to set up in front of their own business frontage, plus 25 per cent beyond if given permission to do so.

Enns said last summer, food and beverage businesses were allowed to extend past their frontages as long as there was consent from neighbouring businesses and landlords.

“We’d like to do the same, but cap it at a maximum of 25 per cent,” he said.

How this would play out under a real world scenario is this: at Kirby Lane for example, there is a Little Wild: Coffee by Wild Flour on the main level, Elk and Oarsman upstairs and Amu-Ramen Bar in the basement.

“In those situations, we would ask the businesses to try to figure out how they might divide up that space amongst themselves,” Enns said.

“If they can’t, we would revert to a lottery draw to decide between alternate tenants when there’s more tenants than there is space available.”

Councillor Peter Poole expressed reservations, saying he is not yet fully convinced that commercial businesses should be allowed as part of next year’s downtown pedestrian zone.

“I am not convinced that we have priorities right in terms of public safety and movement of people,” he said, noting only after that should considerations be given to allow commercial businesses in the public realm.

In addition, Coun. Poole said he has doubts about the food and beverage businesses getting priority over retailers, also adding thought should be given to charities such as churches or institutions like the Banff Centre.

“I see a convincing argument to animate a space with food and beverage is something that works well from a marketing perspective and social media perspective,” he said.

“I am still not convinced that our gateway choice of preferring food and beverage is the automatic choice that we should adopt.”

In addition, outdoor cafés won’t be allowed to set up large events-style tents in summer 2021 as they were this year, but rather use table umbrellas to protect customers from the weather.

Some of the complaints regarding the tents centred on them blocking the surrounding mountain views as well as making it more difficult for people to walk throughout the pedestrian zone.

“Quite frankly, we were learning as we go on what was acceptable from an AHS public health perspective for barriers,” Enns said. “As far as public health barriers between restaurants, we have a lot more clarity about what we can do next year.”

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