Victoria unveils plan for $1M revitalization of downtown with public events, safety

The City of Victoria has released its plans for using new funds to invigorate the downtown with an aim to attract locals and visitors with more frequent public events, activating underused areas and beautifying streets.

On top of the usual funds for the core area, council approved about $950,000 for new downtown revitalization projects, with an estimated $700,000 of that coming from increased parking revenue after the city upped rates and expanded paid hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The revitalization effort will focus on the areas of programming and activation, safety, cleanliness and beautification. Those themes look to work in conjunction as staff said if downtown feels clean and beautiful, more people will visit and stay downtown, which will also increase its vibrancy and its safety.

The city aims to use the added funds to activate and refresh the downtown core with a mix of new retail experiences, pop-up culinary options, recreation events and cultural programs. That includes an emphasis on new experiences in key cultural, tourism and entertainment areas – especially in car-free zones like the ones on Government Street.

The city wants to have food truck Fridays and a youth concert series in Centennial Square and is looking to run recreation events with things like pickleball or basketball courts and other interactive games in that location, plus Ship Point and other public areas. It’s also exploring designated busker areas with curated street performers along business and pedestrian-focused zones, such as Broad, Fort and Government streets.

“These everyday creative experiences by local bands and artists will continue to draw people downtown on an ongoing basis,” staff said.

Victoria also wants to liven up vacant and underutilized areas with pop-up retail, arts and culture programs. Some of the current ideas include bringing in food trucks, concerts and drop-in wellness activities like yoga to Ship Point and Centennial Square.

The city wants to make those spaces attractive and refresh them with retail options by possibly adding retrofitted shipping containers, which could serve as incubators for creative, young and innovative businesses.

People will likely see the slogan Our DWTN posted in connection to various initiatives as the branding will look to instil a sense of community pride and ownership of the downtown.

New events would be teamed with a host of safety initiatives, including a pilot running until the end of August that sees VicPD officers walking downtown and a city-run pilot where bylaw staff would do their own foot patrols. The latter looks to make staff more visible, react to nuisances that relate to bylaws and engage with businesses.

Other safety measures coming include brightening dark areas of downtown, adding more decorative lights and projecting displays onto buildings.

Beautification efforts will include year-round hanging plant baskets lining streets, new and revived mural initiatives – including a refresh of Chinatown’s dragon art – and more lighting strung up in the winter months. The city also hopes to incorporate Lekwungen elements into public art, signage and programs so visitors and locals can learn more about that culture, language and people.

New cleaning measures include additional street and sidewalk sweeping, litter pickups, pressure washing, partnerships with business groups and having dedicated officials inspecting downtown areas. Another goal is to help improve business facades with more awning cleaning, bird deterrence and horticultural displays.

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