Archive

Orangeville BIA mapping plans for the future

February 2, 2018   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Orangeville Business Improvement Area  (OBIA) held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday in the Orangeville Town Hall Opera House.

Members where provided information about the OBIA’s current services and accomplishments over the past year.

Ellen Sinclair, Coordinator at the Small Business Development Centre, gave some insight as to what the Centre does to aid small business in Orangeville and the surrounding area.

The Centre helps small business owners get their enterprise off the ground including one-to-one business consulting, on site business registration, and helping develop a business plan. It also provides seminars, workshops, and special programs through the year.

Theatre Orangeville General Manager, Bernadette Hardaker provided information including a new video showcasing the Theatre’s youth programs.

As a member of the OBIA, Theatre Orangeville specializes in presenting new Canadian works to the public. About 30,000 people visit the opera house annually with  24,000 specifically coming to see productions.

The main focus of the AGM was the OBIA’s strategic plan for the next few years and the idea that “A healthy downtown means a healthy town.”

“We plan to make Orangeville the ultimate place to go for a day because it’s in the middle of everywhere with small town charm and big town taste,” said OBIA Chair Joe Sammut. “We support our member by contributing to the economic, cultural, and social well being of our community.”

The OBIA, Mr. Sammut said, will focus on the right things to achieve sustainable growth and bring more people to the downtown Orangeville area including visitors from out of town who will view the Town as a viable place to visit and enjoy what the Town has to offer. This includes the many popular festivals that are held throughout the year.

The issue of available parking in the downtown area was raised with some concerns that limited parking may hurt business. In particular, the fact that some people use street parking, which a by-law limits to two hours, for an entire day.

Mr. Sammut said recent studies have shown that there is ample parking on both downtown streets and the surrounding area parking lots to accommodate business and visitors to the downtown area. However, he said, it may be prudent to work with Town by-law enforcement officers to ensure the two-hour parking rule isn’t abused.

The OBIA is planning to implement strategies and current plans through to 2020.

Readers Comments (0)