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June 2016 Newsletter
In this issue: NEBA AGM, North by Night Market, The North End Music Scene, Centre Plan, Tax Reform and more.
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NEBA AGM JUNE 23RD
NEBA will be hosting its 5th Annual General Meeting June 23rd, 5:00 - 8:00pm at The Local (2037 Gottingen Street).
Perennial sponsor Propeller Brewing Company is graciously supplying refreshments, and hors d'oeuvres will be served from Jane's Next Door & EDNA. As always, the AGM is a great opportunity to catch-up with other North End business owners and enjoy some North End hospitality. Look for notice of the AGM in the mail, or simply put the date in calendar right now!
The agenda is:
- Welcome from the Chair
- Year in Review
- Guest Speaker
- 2016/2017 Activity Plan
- Financials
- By-Law Amendments
- Board Nominations
- North Star Awards
- Door Prizes!
Last month the Nomination Committee put out a call for people interested in being on the board. The committee has been actively working to find a slate of candidates that will round out the board in terms of diversity, experience, ideas, and geography. A slate of candidates will be presented at the AGM for approval. As well, there will be an opportunity for nominations from the floor. Here are a few points to keep in mind when considering a board nomination:
- A Nominee must be a person who is a non-resident tenant in or an owner of a Commercially Assessed real property within the District as defined by the Business Improvement District (BID) boundary, See Map HERE
- Members of the Board of Directors who are not Officers shall be entitled to serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms of 2 years for a total of four (4) years prior to resignation or retirement.
- Nominations of Members to the Board of Directors may be made from the floor of the Annual General Meeting provided that they are both proposed and seconded by two different Members, both of whom are in good standing.
- Each Member, (hereinafter: “Members”) and Director in good standing shall have one vote at all General Meetings of the Association and at the Annual General Meeting thereof. Good standing shall be defined as not being in arrears with respect to the payment of any local area rates upon business occupancy and/or commercial realty and/or any dues.
If you still wish to put your name forward or have someone in mind you wish to nominate please contact Ditta Kasdan, Chair of the Nomination Committee, at dittak@gmail.com or 902-221-6614. For more information on the processes and governance of the Board of Directors and the Association please visit our website to view the NEBA By-Laws and Governance Manual.
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NORTH BY NIGHT MARKET
June 10th 2016, 7-10pm
IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN!!
DJ Dance Party, Food Trucks, Local Artisans...and all around good time!
Get ready for North by Night Market at Squiggle Park // Friday, June10th 7-10pm.
We would love to see the whole area come alive and encourage businesses to join in the activities by staying open late, offering specials or by hosting your own entertainment! Let us know if you're interested in participating by writing to: info@gonorthhalifax.com or post what's going on in your establishment that evening to the Facebook Event page. The Night Markets gather upwards of 3500 attendees, that's a lot of people out and about, let's give them something to talk about!
Use #NXNMRKT to share all things Night Market.
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THE CENTRE PLAN:
Developing a Vision for Our Commercial Districts
On May 30th about forty people showed up at FRED to take part in a special Centre Plan session that looked at the future of our Commercial Districts. The event was a collaborative effort between Quinpool Road Mainstreet Business Association, NEBA, and HRM's Centre Plan team.
To set the context, there was a presentation that provided an overview of the things that make a commercial district great. In summary, this includes:
- Having a "unique identity". This is achieved by having buildings that look like they belong together and are mindful of height, scale, character. In commercial districts, other consideration include having retail / commercial on the street level, with offices and residential above (this will help support the local retail.)
- Pedestrians Rule. In a city, it should be all about the pedestrian. When designing cities for people (not cars), considerations include wider sidewalks, traffic calming, landscaping, variations in pavement treatment, and street furniture. The idea is to create place where people want to be and linger. Accessibility and safety is critical.
- Have Space for Activities. Popular urban centres these days provide opportunities for changing activities that create elements of surprise,— like alley soirees and pop-up exhibits. The popularity of the North By Night Markets is a testament to this idea. Activities and events draw people to an area, and create life and vibrancy on the street. Ensuring spaces exist to allow for these types of activities is crucial.
- Planning for Day & Night. Ever been to a place that completely empties out at 5:00pm? Vibrant, successful business districts support activities in the day and night — expanding the opportunities for both businesses and people alike. In 2015, San Francisco became the first city in the US to adopt protections designed to help protect businesses districts located near new residential developments. It has lead to a better integration of businesses and residents, where people know what to expect and can make decisions accordingly.
- Parking, It's Real. While it may be true that the era of the automobile as we know it is on the decline, it will be a while yet before commercial districts will be able to survive car free. Gottingen Street is designated as a major commercial district, with NO municipal parking lot. Parking is critical for many retailers (like dry-cleaners, specialty food shops, or day cares). We need to completed the integrated transit plan that will address needs of today, with an eye on the future.
- Residential Development. Density adds people to an area. But it needs to be done with a good mix of tenure options. Homeownership ads stability to an area, and affordable housing (below market) provides a critical social benefit and is important to maintaining the diversity of people in an area. An affordable housing strategy is a must!
- Commercial Affordability. While there is a lot of necessary and urgent discussion about housing affordability, commercial affordability is also essential. We know that small foot prints = local businesses. But escalating real estate prices mean more more we are seeing the redevelopment of small commercial spaces into Class "A" retail space which is beyond the means of local start-ups and entrepreneurs. Protecting the diversity of our commercial spaces is essential to maintaing a healthy economic eco-system.
- Other Considerations: The growth of small home-based businesses is exploding, and these entrepreneurs are contributing to exports, economic growth, local businesses. How can these businesses be supported and developed, rather than penalized for by-law non-compliance like the hat maker in Lunenburg who did not have enough parking spaces for her on-line Etsy business? This is also an example of how the world of retail is changing — and how might we need our cities to function and be designed to accommodate these changes? Demographics are changing too — and while aging boomers are the concern of today, city plans are meant to look 20 years ahead. What will future generations want?
“Over the past 30 years, the commercial real estate industry has quietly transformed from a “mom-and-pop” industry to an institutional asset class where owners manage complex and global portfolios. Institutional investors rarely used to invest in real estate.” Forbes
The Centre Plan session tapped into the knowledge of the business and property owners in attendance by asking them:
- to identify the trends and dynamics they saw influencing retail and commercial districts over the next 5, 10, 20 years;
- identifying what they think are the key ingredients of a successful commercial district;
- how they want to see commercial activity in the urban core supported and development; and
- what services and amenities are needed?
The key messages that emerged from the session were:
- Need to maintain and support diversity of: people (through opportunity); housing (access, affordable); businesses (small footprints, services); activity (24/7); and culture (arts, ethnicity, history).
- Need to build to a human scale (people oriented and neighbourhood sensitivity).
- Need to recognize niche areas in the city that have own identity (not a one-size-fits-all for zoning and by-laws)
- Need to enable connectivity — throughout urban core, and regional centre.
NEBA will continue to advocate for these ideas and work with the HRM team to develop a Centre Plan that reflects the type of future community we envision. As people who are invested in this area, and are the current stewards of the business community, we have an important role and responsibility in shaping its future. A full summary of the notes from the session will be posted on our website once they have been processed. If you have not yet had an opportunity, you can still provide input into the Centre Plan here.
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DOWNTOWNS ATLANTIC CONFERENCE
NEBA became a member of Downtowns Atlantic Canada this spring, and both Patty and Tracy attended the DAC Conference in St. John, NB, from May 25 - May 27. It was a great opportunity to connect with Business Improvement District leaders and staff from around the Atlantic provinces, share best practices, and discuss issues and ideas for promoting downtowns and main-streets throughout the region. Highlights from the conference include a presentation from both the planner and BID leader of the the downtown Burlington Vermont plan (planBTV). The planBTV was passed around at the Centre Plan meeting at FRED on May 30th, —it provides some great inspiration. Stefano Grande, from Downtown Winnipeg, gave an informative presentation on the role of BIDs, which I will be sure to share when I get the notes. And Paul MacKinnon spoke about an important project he has been working on with Downtown Canada that looks at the value of investing in downtowns.
Other than the great presentations, it was a wonderful opportunity to visit downtown, I mean Uptown St. John. There has been a lot of effort there to preserve heritage buildings and create a unique and interesting downtown experience. We had the chance (on a craft beer tasting tour) to meet one local developer, Historica, who has been converting old buildings into new commercial and residential space. I'm sure Halifax could learn some lessons.
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NEWS ON SMALL BUSINESS TAX REFORM!
Executive Director Patty Cuttell presented to the Law Amendments committee on May 16th to ask the provincial government to grant HRM's request to have greater authority in setting taxes and charges respecting the general tax rate and area rates for both residential and commercial properties. The amendment brought forward in Bill 177 by the provincial government was not what HRM asked for, nor was it what the BIDs have been advocating for. Bill 177 would not enable the creation of differentiated tax rates — it would only stretch out the period in which to pay increased taxes. To read more about Bill 177, and our issues with it, check out the media coverage we received. NEBA, along with other BIDs in the HRM, will continue advocacy work to ensure issues with municipal commercial taxes remain in the spotlight. With a municipal election, and potential provincial election, on the horizon, there will be opportunity. But there is also the risk that we could lose momentum. While there has been an indication from the Liberal Government that HRM's request and the ability to set differentiated tax rates will be dealt with in the fall, we intend to keep working toward changes in the tax system that will create a more level playing field for small businesses and businesses in the urban core. Promise to keep you posted on any more exciting tax reform developments.
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YOUR ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED.
Updating the NEBA directory.
NEBA is preparing to develop a new website that is better designed to market and promote the area as a destination and highlight all the wonderful businesses, communities, and events here. One of our first steps is to correct and update our internal directory.
Please take five minutes to send us updated information. Let us help you promote your business.
BUSINESSES: If you are a business operating in the NEBA district, or the NEBA Associate Member district, please fill out this Business form. Not sure if you are in our district? Check out the District Map and Associate District Map.
PROPERTY OWNERS: If you own one or more commercial properties in the NEBA district, please fill out this Property Owner form.
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If you have something you would like to share with NEBA members about the North End, please send it to us and we will do our best to post it. We want to hear from you! Just do it now...
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