Downtown Kamloops business lobby faces opposition to expansion plan

The downtown Kamloops business association is facing pushback as it looks to expand its borders, but it comes just months after the association’s top employee downplayed any plans to do so.

One business owner is finding widespread opposition to the expansion, weeks before the planned counter-petition launches.

“I have not found one single opt-in, and I am combing the streets,” said Cheryl Beattie, owner of Bicycle Cafe. “Nobody asked for this particular expansion.”

While it’s not clear that businesses on the edges of downtown Kamloops have been asking to be included, the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association indicated just months ago it was steering away from any plans to expand.

In March, former executive director Howie Reimer told Kamloops city council it’s was being explored, but it would be costly, especially to do so this year, and it would water down service.

“If we were to expand we would need some other form of revenue to make it viable for us to service those areas,” Reimer said at the council meeting. “Otherwise it would be a watered-down service across those areas, but we would like to fill those gaps. It just needs to make sense for everybody.”

His response was prompted by Coun. Kelly Hall, who said the area businesses along Battle Street from 10 Avenue to the Highway 5 overpass were “orphaned” and lacked representation from the association.

Ten days after the council meeting, Reimer left his job from Downtown Kamloops and North Shore business lobby executive director, Jeremy Heighton, stepped in to fill the interim role. Months later, downtown businesses are now being asked to join.

It’ll head to a vote later this summer, with the organization selling itself to businesses outside the downtown core. Those along Victoria Street West and the Battle Street corridor west of 10 Avenue would be charged membership levies to join the marketing and lobby agency.

Members pay a levy to the association as part of their annual property taxes, which would amount to 84 cents per every $1,000 on each business’ property value.

Heighton said he couldn’t comment on what the association’s board discussed with Reimer before he left, but he touted the merits of more businesses joining the association, while assuring that it can afford to expand the coverage area.

“If there are more businesses contributing, we have the ability to appropriate services appropriately. We’ve already done the numbers, we know it’ll work and we can put programming out to these areas no problem,” Heighton said.

Beattie said she has been canvassing businesses on both sides of the planned expansion, where she has heard from many opposed to the plan. Her concern is largely focused on what she sees as a lack of consultation about the expansion and how it would affect them, while many were also concerned about the additional cost on top of rising property taxes.

“It’s not that I’m not aware of what they do or that I don’t find value in what they do, I absolutely see they’re trying to do stuff in the community. I just don’t like the way they’ve gone about it in this expansion,” Beattie said.

Heighton said the business association has been offering virtual information sessions, where business owners can also voice their concerns, with more planned.

He encouraged those opposed to sign their names on the upcoming counter petition once it opens, but he defended the business association as something that’s worth the cost. Heighton said the association offers lobbying to government, marketing, graffiti cleaning and staff patrols in areas that see property crime and open drug use.

“The more you ask of me, the more I can provide to you,” he said.

The city will mail out forms to property owners around July 14. If more than 50 per cent of property owners, or a combination of more than half of the combined property values, return the forms opposing the expansion, it will be abandoned.

More information can be found here.