Work on parking availability, affordable housing initiatives, support for Buy Local campaigns and continued efforts with the Yukon government are all part of a proposed city plan focused on the retail and entertainment sectors in the downtown.

Jordan Stackhouse, the city’s economic development officer, unveiled the latest version of the proposed 53-page Downtown Retail and Entertainment Strategy at council’s meeting Monday.

If adopted by council, the strategy would replace the 2006 retail strategy.

“While the 2006 report focused primarily on retail in the downtown core, the entertainment sector was added into the current study in order to gain a better understanding of the opportunities for support and development of the 2007 Downtown Plan,” Stackhouse said.

Both the retail and entertainment sectors in the city have gone through some major changes over the last decade, Stackhouse noted.

Given the changes, much of the work focused on getting an understanding of what the changes were and how they fit with the city’s Official Community Plan, which serves as an overall guiding document for the city.

“This work is related to economic development and planning, but also contains recommendations for other departments such as bylaw services, parks and community development and recreation and facility services,” Stackhouse said.

After gathering input on a draft of the strategy that was released last August, officials made alterations to the plan that’s now coming to council.

Among those changes are:

• more details on the history of parking and discussions around the possibility of a larger parkade;

• a new section that focuses on opportunities to move traffic off of the Alaska Highway into the city’s core; and

• a section on the city’s role in economic development.

Twenty recommendations are then outlined in the plan, under a few key topics.

Improvements to the streets are a key feature of a number of recommendations.

Among those would be:

• design guidelines developed in the Downtown Plan for Main Street along with streetscape improvements from Third Avenue and Jarvis Street north to Black Street; and

• new signage and enhanced cultural and historical interpretation along the waterfront.

Transportation to and in the downtown is also part of the recommendations.

Proposals focus on strategies:

• improving active transportation and connectivity in the downtown and north end;

• working with the territory to encourage government employees to use alternative modes of transportation;

• engaging with the territory to ensure upgrades to the Alaska Highway within the city meet the city’s own transportation objectives, improves the highway corridor’s aesthetics and facilitates city visits by those who travel the highway; and

• partnering with the Yukon Arts Centre on a pilot project that would encourage residents to dine downtown and use transit for major events happening at the arts centre.

For those not using alternative transportation or transit to get downtown, numerous measures to improve parking are listed as recommendations.

They include online payments and meter top-up options; investigating private sector interest in building a parkade downtown; and implementing a parking “amnesty” from 5:30 p.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday.

Housing is also noted as playing a role. There are proposals to continue facilitating densification of the downtown area through zoning and development incentives and promoting and partnering on initiatives to promote affordable housing and end homelessness.

Also outlined in the report are improved communications on a number of fronts with local businesses; maintaining or increasing funding for parks, trails, beautification and so on; and helping to facilitate and encourage various events downtown.

While the report focuses on the retail and entertainment sectors, it was not lost on council members that it mirrors another document around resource development brought forward Monday night.

Affordable housing was highlighted as important for both, along with other initiatives.

“Some of it’s word for word,” Coun. Dan Boyd pointed out before asking that the costs of implementing the strategy be made known before council votes on it next week.

Mayor Dan Curtis, meanwhile, praised city staff for the work. He noted both documents highlight the need for certain measures like affordable housing.

Coun. Samson Hartland was absent from Monday’s meeting.

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