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Past Projects
Hallowe'en on the Heights (Oct.
31, 2007)
Hallowe'en belongs in the
neighbourhood, and nowhere is this more true than on the Heights. In the
Heights, Hallowe'en is a true folkloric event as it's meant to be - safe, fun
and a celebration of a good spooking! The Heights merchants are proud to be
part of this tradition and making local childrens memories special. The Heights
gets "haunted" with activities for all ages this Hallowe'en. Click here for
more information.
East of Willingdon Revitalization (ongoing - updated Oct. 2007)
Business
and pedestrian vitality has been on the decline between Willingdon and Gamma
(4500-4800 Hastings) Street for a number of years.
Since the area is zoned almost entirely for service-commercial (such as
appliance repairs, car sales, home renovation), these limitations mean that
buildings are becoming increasingly difficult to rent. Almost no shops or
retail are currently permitted east of Willingdon. The high property values,
coupled with a two-storey maximum restriction in building leads to a
disincentive for developers to invest money in the area... leading to buildings
that are in a poor state of repair.
The
HMA envisions east of Willingdon as it does the rest of the Heights: an urban
village, with the attributes and advantages that the area west of Willingdon
enjoys. This safer, friendlier and aesthetically more pleasing environment for
pedestrians will make east of Willingdon - and all of the Heights - a more
inviting place to live, work, and shop.
NEWS! Following two-year long efforts to educate the City
Council on our struggles, and to hear from both merchants and residents
about what they long for in their area, and also what their concerns are
regarding possible changes, the Heights Merchants Association was pleased
to see forward movement when Burnaby City Council approved a staff report on
Oct. 1 to go to public hearing with proposed zoning changes. While these
changes are not perfect and do offer some challenges, they would
nevertheless allow for more flexibility in both retail offerings (such as
cafes, bakeries, shops) and building height and style... neither of which were
possible before. A public hearing by the City will occur in November sometime.
The recommendation would not become official until some time after it has
gone through this process. We will update this web page when we have more
information to report. Please call our office for details.
For more info on other
Heights Physical Improvement initiatives, please click here.
Business Crime Prevention Strategy Working Group (Fall 2007)
The
City of Burnaby has assembled a Business Crime
Prevention Strategy Working Group to analyse Burnaby's business crime and
security issues. One of the HMA's Board members is serving on this committee.
If you are a property or business owner of the Heights business district and
want to pass on your concerns to the City's committee, please call our office
and let us know.
International Downtown Association Conference (Sept. 2007)
On
behalf of the HMA, and for the benefit of the Heights area, the HMA sent its
executive director to the International Downtown Association conference in New York City this year. There,
professionals who work in business improvement areas (or districts, as they are
called in the US), gathered to share
ideas, best practices, and spend an intensive 5 days in workshops and
informative district tours. The executive director was able to gather ideas and
inspiration from other areas in Canada, the USA and Europe, which she has brought
back to the Heights with her. If you would like to hear more about this, please
call the HMA office.
Giro di Burnaby (July 19, 2007)
The second annual Giro di Burnaby bicycle
race rode through the Heights and brought 9,000 cheering spectators to the
streets! Local residents Gina Grain and Zach Bell took third and nineteenth
place respectively and were definitely crowd favourites. Thank you to Tourism Burnabyfor the Street banners featuring a passionate
cyclist painted by Luigia Zilli, the official Giro di Burnaby artist. The
banners will continue to be displayed along Hastings Street. Find more at Special Events page or www.girodiburnaby.com
HMA Annual General
Meeting (June
27, 2007)
This year's AGM was held
at Confederation Community Centre and featured guest speaker Ian Tait of Artiss
Aminco and 2010 Legacies Now. The meeting was punctuated by some terrific
raffle draws and door prizes featuring contributions from various Heights
merchants. The AGM is a great place to learn about the HMA's recent
achievements and future projects. All merchants and property owners are welcome
to attend. Our next AGM will be in late June 2008. Stay tuned for details. Find
more at Merchant Events or Contact the HMA.
Hats Off Day (June 2,
2007)
The HMA collaborated
with merchants and volunteers to continue to increase the scope of Hats Off Day
this year. Old favourites like the parade and street performers were popular
with the crowd. The mountain-bike stunt exhibition "Flow Show" a
larger Show & Shine and the Reptile Education Centre brought renewed
excitement - but it was the people that gave the event its character.
Find more at Special Events.HOV Lane Removal and Advocacy (ongoing - updated Fall 2007)
Since the
1996 implementation of the HOV Lane, rush hour effectively transforms
Hastings Street from a neighbourhood retail district into a freeway,
and encourages a freeway commuter mentality in those driving through
the Heights. In February 2007 the HMA made a presentation to the City
of Burnaby Transportation Committee. City Council
subsequently suggested that the problem be further examined with the
intention of arriving at some eventual solutions.
Efforts
continue to educate Council members on our struggles. City staff
have made us aware of the fact that Hastings Street may be under the
authority of the City of Burnaby, but changes to its capacity must be
approved by Translink. This does not preclude the opportunity and
challenge to be creative and think of new ways to move people on feet
and in cars in a way that truly reflects a growing and vibrant
community... and not resort to transportation tools that are best used
on a designated freeway.
The HMA continues to study and support positive transportation alternatives, and work with City council and staff.
Heights Business Directory (Spring 2007)
The
Heights Business Directory has become a critical element in connecting
customers to Heights shops and services. Our annual business directory
is distributed to more than 14,000 homes in North Burnaby and East
Vancouver. Deemed the third most effective advertising method by
Heights merchants in the 2005 members survey, the directory continues
to develop into an increasingly streamlined publication with a steadily
rising readership (and value). This year, for the first time, the
directory almost broke even! Based on these results, the HMA looks
forward to increasing circulation in 2008 to expand in Burnaby and East
Vancouver.
Safety and Security (Spring 2007)
In February and
March of 2007, the HMA collaborated with the Hastings Community
Policing Office to host two workshops addressing crime, safety and
security in the Heights. The workshops facilitated open dialogue
between merchants and the RCMP. Moreover, they clarified RCMP
procedures and internal structure as well as types, causes and
prevention of crime. For more details, please visit Merchant Events or contact the Hastings CPO at 604-656-3250. The Birth of Bizzy - "Name the Bee" Contest (July 2006)
The "Name the
Bee" contest was organized to give a name to the newly revealed bee
adorning the Spring/Summer Heights street banners. The bee name had to
be succinct, easy to pronounce and, above all, a marketable reflection
of Burnaby Heights. Hundreds of suggestions were considered and BIZZY
THE BEE was chosen. Bizzy is hardworking, energetic and unique, just
like the Heights. The winner of the contest, Debra Vinning, was
rewarded with a Heights shopping spree, a cake form Valley Bakery and,
of course, a pot of honey! Customers Survey (Summer 2006)
In the Summer
2006, the HMA hired Bengtson Market Research Ltd (a professional market
research firm) to interview 225 localized customers to find out what
they like and don't like about shopping in the Heights, where our
competition is, opportunities for growth, and much more. If you are an
HMA member and would like to learn more about the findings, please
contact our office. The survey results are going to be used for
internal marketing decision-making and business recruitment strategies.
2005 Members Survey
In August and
September 2005, the HMA hired Bengtson Market Research Ltd. to survey
our members. All ~500 members were contacted, and 93 members were able
to complete the whole survey (representing approximately 14% of our
membership). They told us what we were doing well, what challenges they
were experiencing, what they would like us to focus our work on for the
next few years, and much more. 84% of these members told us that the HMA is effective in the work we do.
If you are a property owner or merchant and would like more details about our survey, or have any comments or concerns, please Contact Us. We'd be happy to provide you more details.
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