Retailers will be allowed to display merchandise on Banff’s downtown public sidewalks in a bid to encourage more shoppers to go into stores as part of a pilot project to be launched this summer.
Although there are regulations against outdoor retailing to avoid tackiness, council endorsed the pilot project on a 3-2 vote, thereby allowing administration to study and monitor a limited amount of outdoor displays this summer.
Officials say the outdoor displays could include planter boxes, hanging baskets, seasonal decorations, iconic welcoming displays, store mascots – and merchandise for sale.
“I see things outside the front of businesses that I think are lovely and if it draws attention to the doors and draws people inside, I have no problem with that,” said Mayor Karen Sorensen.
“Maybe my line in the sand may end up being no merchandise on public sidewalks, but I think there’s more discovery to be had before I make up my mind on that.”
Currently, the general development regulations indicate no merchandise, goods or wares shall be placed on public lands within a commercial district or placed on the exterior of a building.
But when the Town of Banff cracked down on the 20-year-old bylaw last summer, handing out warnings and fines to those who didn’t put their displays indoors, there was a backlash from some retailers.
A special meeting of council was called to deal with the contentious issue in August, at which time politicians asked bylaw officers to back off active enforcement, though they could still write tickets when complaints were made.
At the same time, council directed administration to draft a new policy that would allow for a limited amount of outdoor display, merchandising and street retailing for council’s consideration.
The idea behind this summer’s pilot project is to allow the planning department to work with the business community to develop guidelines for outdoor retailing before a policy is finalized.
A different set of parameters to deal with pedestrian volumes and traffic capacity will be determined for Bear, Wolf, Caribou and Buffalo streets, as well as busy Banff Avenue.
Businesses can apply to be part of the pilot this summer and everyone will be given a chance to comment on how the displays look, and if and how they interfere with people walking down the sidewalk, among other issues.
Council’s decision to move forward with a pilot was not unanimous, with Councillors Leslie Taylor and Stavros Karlos voicing concerns about outdoor retailing on public sidewalks in the downtown.
Karlos said this is not universally supported by the business community.
“I personally don’t want to see an encroachment into the public realm,” said Karlos. “I’m drawing the line at the property line.”
Taylor said administration’s report indicates there are lots of people in the business community who share the concern that outdoor merchandise makes the downtown area look tacky.
She noted the report appears to indicate that the number of businesses wanting merchandise outdoors is similar to the number that were flouting the bylaw all along.
“I’m very struck at how far down the list that merchandise for sale is, in term of what people are interested in,” she said.
Taylor said she also fears a pilot project could create a sense of entitlement among some businesses wanting outdoor merchandising, so she wants to make sure the existing regulations are clearly spelled out.
“This is an opportunity to see whether this sort of display will enhance the streetscape, and maybe it can, but on the other hand, maybe it won’t,” she said. “I want to be hyper clear this is a pilot.”
