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INTERIMCOMMERCIALSTRATEGYDISCUSSIONPAPERDowntownBurlington
Prepared for:
The City of Burlington
February 21, 2013
DowntownBurlingtonInterimCommercialStrategyDiscussionPaper
February21,2013
Ms.AndreaSmith,MCIP,RPPSeniorPlanner–Policy,PlanningandBuildingDepartmentCityofBurlington426BrantStreetBurlington,OntarioL7R3Z6DearMs.Smith:
RE:InterimCommercialStrategyDiscussionPaper,DowntownBurlington
urbanMetricsinc.andThePlanningPartnershiparepleasedtosubmitourInterimDowntownCommercialStrategyDiscussionPaper,whichprovidesasummaryofourpreliminaryfindingsastheyrelatetothecurrentstateofDowntownBurlington;thevariousfunctionsitserves;howwellitiscurrentlymeetingtheneedsoftheCity;andhowwellcurrentlanduseplanningpoliciesaresupportingitsvibrancy.ThisdiscussionpaperhasbeenpreparedaspartoftheCityofBurlington’sbroaderOfficialPlanReviewCommercialStrategyStudy,whichisbeingundertakenjointlybyurbanMetricsinc.andThePlanningPartnership,withinputandfeedbackbyCityofBurlingtonstaff.
TheprimarypurposeofthispaperistoinformtheDowntownTaskGroupsothatitcanproceedwithinformedconsultationwithstakeholdersandthecommunity;raiseinsightfulconsiderationtofacilitatepubliccommunicationandengagement;andtoexplorestrategicoptionstoaddressthevibrancyofDowntownBurlington.IthasbeenapleasureconductingthispartofourassignmentonbehalfoftheCityofBurlingtonandtheDowntownTaskGroup,andwelookforwardtodiscussingourresults.
Yourstruly,urbanMetricsinc.
RowanF.J.Faludi,CMC,MCIP,RPP,PLE Partner [email protected]
DowntownBurlingtonInterimCommercialStrategyDiscussionPaper
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVESUMMARY.....................................................................................................................................................................................................I
1 BACKGROUND............................................................................................................................................................................................................1
2 CURRENTSTATEOFDOWNTOWN......................................................................................................................................................................4 2.1 COMMERCIALSPACEINVENTORYINDOWNTOWNBURLINGTON....................................................................................................................................................................4 2.2 CHANGEINDOWNTOWNCOMMERCIALSPACE2002‐2012..........................................................................................................................................................................8 2.3 VACANTCOMMERCIALSPACE...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................9 2.4 DOWNTOWNCOMMERCIALSPACEINCOMPARABLECOMMUNITIES..........................................................................................................................................................12 2.5 OFFICECOMMERCIALSPACE..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................14 2.6 FUTUREDEVELOPMENTSITES..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................16
3 FUNCTIONSOFTHEDOWNTOWN.....................................................................................................................................................................19 3.1 POPULATIONANDEMPLOYMENT......................................................................................................................................................................................................................20 3.2 DOWNTOWNON‐STREETINTERCEPTSURVEYRESULTS..............................................................................................................................................................................21 3.3 CITYOFBURLINGTONTELEPHONEANDON‐LINESURVEYS........................................................................................................................................................................30 3.4 DOWNTOWNTRADEAREA.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................37
4 HOWWELLISDOWNTOWNSERVINGTHECITY..........................................................................................................................................44 4.1 ON‐STREETVISITORINTERCEPTSURVEY.........................................................................................................................................................................................................44 4.2 DOWNTOWNPUBLICWORKSHOPVISIONING...................................................................................................................................................................................................48 4.2.1 RoundTableDiscussions(TableTopics).....................................................................................................................................................................................................52
5 FUTURECHALLENGESANDTRENDS................................................................................................................................................................54 5.1 AGINGRESIDENTIALPOPULATION...................................................................................................................................................................................................................54 5.2 CHANGINGSOCIALANDECONOMICSTRUCTURALPATTERNS.....................................................................................................................................................................54 5.3 POPULATION&EMPLOYMENTGROWTH.........................................................................................................................................................................................................56 5.4 E‐RETAILINGANDNON‐STORERETAILING......................................................................................................................................................................................................57 5.5 RETAILDEVELOPMENTTRENDS.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................59 5.6 CHALLENGES.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................60
DowntownBurlingtonInterimCommercialStrategyDiscussionPaper
6 SUMMARYANDCONCLUSIONS...........................................................................................................................................................................61 6.1 CURRENTSTATEOFTHEDOWNTOWN.............................................................................................................................................................................................................61 6.2 FUNCTIONSOFTHEDOWNTOWN......................................................................................................................................................................................................................61 6.3 FUTURECHALLENGESANDTRENDS.................................................................................................................................................................................................................63
7 PRELIMINARYPOLICYRECOMMENDATIONS...............................................................................................................................................65 7.1 DOWNTOWNBOUNDARIES&STRUCTURE......................................................................................................................................................................................................65 7.2 MINIMUMDENSITYTARGETS............................................................................................................................................................................................................................67 7.3 SPECIFICMIXEDUSETARGETS..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................67 7.4 ANEWRETAILSTRUCTURE...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................68 7.5 PROVIDEINCENTIVESFORINTENSIFICATIONANDNON‐RESIDENTIALDEVELOPMENT.........................................................................................................................69
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EXECUTIVESUMMARY
BACKGROUND
urbanMetricsandThePlanningPartnershiphavebeenretainedbytheCityofBurlingtontoundertakeaCommercialStrategyStudy,whichisbeingpreparedaspartoftheCity’songoingOfficialPlanReviewprocess.
ThisInterimCommercialStrategyDiscussionPaperrepresentsonecomponentofthebroaderCommercialStrategyStudybeingundertakenbyurbanMetricsandThePlanningPartnership.ItfocusesonthefollowingkeytopicsrelatingtoDowntownBurlington:
ThecurrentstateofDowntownBurlington;
ThevariousfunctionsservedbyDowntown;
HowwellDowntowniscurrentlymeetingtheneedsoftheCity;
TrendsandotherfactorsthatwillinfluencethefuturestateoftheDowntown;and,
Howwellcurrentlanduseplanningpoliciesaresupportingitsvibrancy.
THECURRENTSTATEOFDOWNTOWN
DowntownBurlingtoncomparesveryfavourablytoothersuccessfullyfunctioningdowntownsintheGTA.AllofthefollowingcharacteristicspointtothevibrancyofDowntownBurlingtonasitcurrentlyexiststoday:
thescaleofthecommercialcore;
lowvacancyratesinprimeareas;
recentresidentialdevelopmentactivityandinterest;
publicsectorinvestmentinthedowntownandwaterfront;and,
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thecontinuedfocusoncivicevents.
Equallyasimportant,istheconfidencethatBurlingtonresidentshaveinthecore,whichhasbeenexhibitedthroughtheDowntownworkshop,andotherdirectconsumersurveyinformationgatheredaspartofthisstudy.Thiswillbeparticularlyimportantgoingforward,asDowntownBurlingtonexpandsitsroleasanUrbanGrowthCentreandMobilityHub.
DowntownBurlingtoncurrentlycontainsapproximately1.09millionsquarefeet(101,000squaremetres)ofretail/servicecommercialspace.
Aswithmanydowntowns,themajority(69.3%)ofthisspaceiscurrentlytenantedbyservice‐basedcommercialfacilities,suchasBanks;FoodServicesandDrinkingPlaces(i.e.,full‐servicerestaurants,fast‐foodrestaurants,bars,pubs,andcafes),PersonalCareServices(i.e.,hairandbeautysalons,barbershops,tattooparlours,laundryservices)andHealthCareservicefacilities(e.g.,doctors,dentists,andotherofficesofhealthpractitioners).Retailtenantscurrentlyrepresentonefifth(19.5%)ofthetotalcommercialspaceinDowntownBurlington.Bycomparison,retailtenantscompriseapproximately56%oftheinventoryfortheentireCity.
Downtownsaremorelimitedintermsoftheirabilitytoattractthefullrangeofstorecategoriesfoundinanurbanmarketduetolimitationswithregardstolandarea,spaceandunitconfigurations.Storesthatoftenhavedifficultylocatingindowntown’sinclude:
Chainswithlargeandinflexiblefloorplates(e.g.departmentstores;manybigboxstores;warehousemembershipclubs;furnitureandappliancesuperstores;andbuildingsupplycentres.
Storeswhich,duetothenatureoftheiroperationsandmerchandise,relyalmostexclusivelyonautomobiletraffic(e.g.manyfurnitureandappliancestores;automotivepartsandrepairoutlets;homeandautostores;and,
Chains,whichhaveanexclusiveaffinitytolocatinginenclosedmallsorpowercentres.
InthecaseofDowntownBurlington,thevastmajorityofretailunitsareunder5,000squarefeet,withsome65%under2,000squarefeet.Withonlyafewexceptions,theunitsover5,000squarefeetareoccupiedbyspecializedusessuchasrestaurants,officesorpublicservicesthatwouldnotlendthemselvestoretailuses.
Forthesereasons,itwouldbedifficulttosignificantlychangethegeneralretailmixindowntownBurlington,althoughtherearecertainstorecategoriesthatmightbeexpandedinkeepingwithcurrenttrendsinotherdowntownareas,including:amedium‐to‐largescalepharmacy;electronics;officesupplies;sportinggoods/sportsapparel;dollarstores;giftandspecialtyretailoutlets.
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ThecurrentretailandservicecommercialvacancyrateinDowntownBurlingtonis11.2%.Althoughthisisarelativelyhighvacancyrate–with“typical”or“normal”vacancyratesrangingbetween5.0%and8.0%–itisimportanttonotethatmostofthevacantspaceinDowntownBurlingtonisconcentratedinthreeagingcommercialplazas;VillageSquare(422PearlSt),TudorSquare(2022–2028CarolineStreetand515JohnStreet)andBurlingtonSquarePlaza(760BrantStreet).Foravarietyofreasons,VillageSquareandBurlingtonSquarehaveperenniallystruggledasretaildestinationsandTudorSquareisundercurrentlyunderredevelopment.Excludingtheseproperties,thevacancyrateinthedowntownisahealthy4.8%.
Thereareanumberofundevelopedandunder‐developedproperties,whichofferthepotentialfornewdevelopment.AmongthemostnotableofthesesitesarethetwoCity‐ownedparkinglotslocatedimmediatelyeastofBrantStreetbetweenJamesStreetandPineStreetinthenorthandsouth,respectively(i.e.,ParkingLots“4”and“5”).Thedowntownalsocontainsanumberofagingstripretailsitesandsmallercommercialcentres,whichcouldpotentiallysupportnew,moreintensifieddevelopmentincomingyears.Fromaplanningperspective,thesesitesshouldberecognizedaspossiblecandidatesformixed‐useintensifieddevelopment.However,intermsofaddressingtheshort‐termsupplytheyshouldbeconsideredspeculative.
FUNCTIONSSERVEDBYDOWNTOWNBURLINGTON
DowntownBurlingtoncurrentlycontainsawiderangeoflandusesandservesavarietyofdifferentfunctions;bothlocallyandwithinthecontextoftheCityasawhole.
Thedowntownservesasanimportantplacefor:
Shopping–representingthecommercialcoreoftheCityandcontainingapproximately1.1millionsquarefeetofretailandservicecommercialspace;
Working&Learning–supportingawiderangeofemploymentactivities,particularlyofficeandretail/servicecommercialbasedemployment,withanumberofmajoremployers,includingCityHallandJosephBrantMemorialHospital.
Living–containingamixofbothestablishedresidentialneighbourhoodswithpredominantlydetachedhousing,aswellasnewermediumandhighdensitycondominiumapartmentresidentialdevelopments;
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Playing–offeringopportunitiesforavarietyofleisure,recreationalandentertainmentactivities,includingthosefocusedalongthewaterfrontandotherslocatedatvariousculturalattractionsthroughoutthedowntown(e.g.,BurlingtonPerformingArtsCentre,BurlingtonArtCentre,etc.);
CivicPresence–containingCityHallandotherimportantmunicipalandlocalinstitutions.
CommunityActivities–providingspaceforresidents,employeesandvisitorsofBurlingtontogatherandservingasthefocalpointofmanyoftheCity’sfestivalsandcommunityevents,and,
Transportation–containingBurlingtonTransit’sJohnStreetBusTerminal,aswellassupportingavarietyofothermodesofactivetransportation(e.g.,walkingandbiking)viatheCity’swaterfronttrailsystem.
Anumberofsurveyswereconductedaspartofthisstudy,threeofwhichincludedanon‐streetdowntownvisitorsurvey,atelephonesurveyofBurlingtonresidents,andanon‐linesurveyofBurlingtonresidents.SurveyrespondentswerealsoaskedtoratehowimportantitwastothemthatDowntownBurlingtonperformanumberofpre‐definedfunctions.Theresultsofthesurveysweresimilar,withallfunctionsscoringwell.
Thetop‐ratedfunctionsrelatedtosocial,entertainment,culturalandrecreationalactivities,withthehighestrankingresponsethatthedowntownserveasaplacefortheCity’sfestivals.Similarly,itwasalsoimportantthatDowntownBurlingtonbetheculturalcentrefortheCity,aswellasserveasaplacetomeetfriends;takeout‐of‐townvisitors;andenjoyrecreationalandleisureactivities.
Fromacommercialperspective,itisalsointerestingtonotethatrespondentsofallthreesurveyssuggestedthatitwasmoreimportantthatdowntownbeaneighbourhoodshoppingdestinationthanaregionalshoppingdestination.
Thedowntownon‐streetsurveyparticipantswereaskedwhytheyhadvisitedDowntownBurlingtononthedayofthesurvey.Approximately26%oftherespondentsindicatedthattheylivedinDowntownBurlingtonandanadditional15%indicatedthattheyworkedthere.Allotherrespondentsindicatedthattheywereindowntowntoperformotheractivities,suchasshopping;dining;foranappointment,ortoholdbusinessmeetings.
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Onlyabout13%ofrespondentstravelleddowntownspecificallytoshop.Aswithmostdowntownsnotaccessedbyrapidtransit,themajorityofretailfacilitiesexisttoservenearbyresidentsandemployees.Thebalancetendstoconsistofspecialtyretailwithamoreregionaldrawwhichbenefitsfromtheuniqueambienceprovidedbydowntownenvironments.ThisfurtherconfirmsthatDowntownBurlingtonisamulti‐functionalcentrewithnoonedominantactivity.
Thetelephoneandon‐linesurveysofBurlingtonresidentswereusedtoidentifytheshareofBurlingtonexpendituresinvariouscategoriescapturedbythedowntown.Thehighestdowntownmarketsharerelatestorestaurants(23.6%),followedbyspecialtyfood(13.5%),miscellaneousretail11.3%,andfashion(10.9%).Theseresultspointtothestrengthofthedowntownasarestaurantdestination,andaplaceforspecialtyretail.
Thecategoriesinwhichrespondentsfeltneededbolsteringthemostwerespecialtyfoodstoresandsupermarkets,illustratingtheimportanceoffoodtothedowntownretailmix.
Basedontheresultsoftheon‐streetsurvey,thePrimaryTradeAreaforthedowntown,whichwouldrepresentthesourceofthemostcustomersonconsistentandongoingbasis,hasbeendefinedastheareaeastofKingRoad,southof403/QEW,westofWalkersLineandnorthofthelake.TheSecondaryTradeAreahasbeendefinedasthebalanceoftheCityofBurlington.
TheCityortheentireTradeArearepresentssome80%ofcustomeroriginsThePrimaryTradeArearepresentssome63%ofdowntownvisitorswithapopulationof46,000.BasedonHaltonRegion’sBestPlanningestimates,thisisexpectedtoreach53,000by2031,largelythroughinfillandintensification.
DOWNTOWNTRADEAREA
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DowntownBurlington,hasalsobeendesignatedasanUrbanGrowthCentre,undertheProvince’sGrowthPlanfortheGreaterGoldenHorseshoe.Itsallocatedtargetby2031is200personsandjobsperhectareor23,400personsandjobs.Thisrepresentsagrowthofapproximately9,400personsandjobsovertheestimated2006totalof14,000(i.e.growthofmorethan67%).
HOWWELLDOWNTOWNISCURRENTLYMEETINGTHENEEDSOFTHECITY
Thedowntownon‐streetinterceptsurveysalsoincludedquestionsrelatingtothelevelofsatisfactionpatronsofDowntownBurlingtonexperiencedintermsoftheavailabilityofspecifictypesofretailandservicefacilitieslocatedinthedowntown.Similarly,respondentswerealsoaskedtoprovideexamplesofthespecifictypesofimprovementsthattheywouldliketoseeinDowntownBurlington.
Approximately37%ofallrespondentsindicatedthattheywouldliketoseeanewmovietheatreaddedtothedowntown;particularlyonethatoffers“first‐run”films.Thisisparticularlyrelevant,giventhattheseresponseswereprovidedpriortotheannouncedclosingoftheEncoreTheatreinUpperCanadaPlace–theonlycinemainthedowntowncore.
Some21%ofrespondentsdesiredmorespecialtyfoodstoreoptions,suchasbakeriesanddelis,whilenearlyonequarter(23%)indicatedthattheywouldmakeuseofnewrestaurants,pubs,cafesandfastfoodestablishmentsiftheywerelocateddowntown.
Furthermore,approximately25%ofsurveyparticipantsindicatedthattherewere“other”typesofcommercialestablishmentsthattheywouldliketoseeaddedtothedowntownaswell.Themajorityoftheseresponsesrelatedtotheexpansionofentertainmentoptionsforyoungerresidentsandvisitors;particularlythoseinthe19‐34agegroup.
IntermsoftheadditionalimprovementsthattheCitycouldmaketothedowntown,responseswererelativelyevenlydistributedacrossawidevarietyoftopics.
AmongthemostfrequentresponsesincludedcommentsrelatingtofinishingconstructionofthepierprojectatthefootofBrantStreetandthewaterfront.
Othercommonlyproposedimprovementsincluded:
Better/morefrequenttransitoptions;
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Moreaffordablehousingnearthewaterfront;
Establishingpriorityforpedestriansandcyclists;
Permanent/morefrequentstreetclosures;
Freeparkingtocompetewithlargershoppingcentres;
Morepublicartinstallations;
BeautificationandstreetscapeimprovementsalongBrantStreet;and,
Expansionofavailableparkspace.
Inadditiontothedowntownsurveys,aDowntownPublicWorkshoppublicconsultationeventwasheldonNovember7,2012attheBurlingtonArtCentre,whichwasattendedby130localresidents,businessowners,andothermembersofthepublic.Aninteractiveandconfidentialpollingtechniquewasusedtoobtainfeedbackonquestionsrelatedtothecurrentandfuturestateofthedowntown.
Morethan87%ofthepeoplewhoattendedthepublicconsultationeventagreedthatDowntownBurlingtonalready“hasalotgoingforit”.Lessthanonepercentdisagreedorstronglydisagreed.TheseresultsstronglyconfirmthatBurlingtonalreadyhasaveryhealthyandattractivedowntown,whichisgenerallymeettheneedsoflocalresidents,employeesandbusinesses.
Despitetheiroverallsatisfactionwiththearea,however,participantsalsoconfirmedthattherewereseveralaspectsofthedowntownthatrequireimproving.Inparticular,manyrespondentswereoftheopinionthatthedowntownneedstoabetterjobofservingasaneighbourhoodshoppingdestination.Aconsensuswasnotreachedonthistopic,however,asvotesweredistributedrelativelyevenlyamongtheoptionsprovided.
ParticipantsattheeventalsovotedonthetopthingsthattheywouldliketoseeaddedtoDowntownBurlington.Thetopthreecategorieswereentertainmentopportunities,retailstoresandrestaurants/cafes.
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Iadditiontotheinteractivesession,theworkshopparticipantsweredividedintobreak‐outgroupsformoredetailedconversationswithamoderator.Thesebreak‐outsessionsrevealedanumberofcommontopics.
Therewasanoverwhelmingnumberofcommentsfromthepublicindicatingthattheywouldliketoseemorespecialtyfoodstoresinthedowntown;includingbutchers,fishmarkets,bakeries,gourmetfoodshops,freshproduce/fruitstores;organic/healthfoodstoresandoptionsforvegans/vegetarians/gluten‐freeshoppers.
Similarly,participantsalsoindicatedthattherewasaneedforasecondsupermarket/grocerystoreinthedowntown,whichconfirmtheresultsofboththeon‐streetinterceptsurveysandvisioningexercise.
Afarmer’smarketwasalsofrequentlyidentifiedasahighlysought‐afteroptionforlocalresidentstopurchasefreshproduceandrelatedfooditems.
Othersuggestionsofthetypesofretail/servicefacilitiesthatweredesiredinthedowntownmainlyrelatedtoneighbourhood‐orientedretailestablishments,suchashardwarestoresandpharmacies/drugstores.
Similarly,otherfrequentlymentionedtopicsincluded:
Theredevelopment/revitalizationoftheVillageSquaresite;
Addingmoreentertainmentvenues(e.g.,livemusicvenues,etc.)
Expandingtransitoptions;
Increasingthesupplyofparking(e.g.,moremulti‐storeyparkingstructures);
Improvingcyclingandpedestriannetworks(i.e.,dedicatedlanes,safer,betterlighting,bicycleparkingoptions,connectionswithdowntownfromwaterfront);
Improvingway‐findingandsignage(e.g.,maps,directories,streetsigns)
Providingmoreaffordableshoppingoptions;
Establishingmoreaffordablehousingoptionsforalldemographics(e.g.,youngfamiliesandsingles);
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Attractingmoreeducationalinstitutions(e.g.,university/collegecampusesorsatellitecampuses);and,
Addingmoregreenspaceandexpandingotherexistingpublicspaces.
TRENDSANDOTHERFACTORSTHATWILLINFLUENCETHEFUTURESTATEOFTHEDOWNTOWN
Thefuturedirectionofdowntownwillbeheavilyinfluencedbyanumberofprevailingtrends:
ItsmandatedgrowthasaprovincialUrbanGrowthCentre;and,
TheagingOntariopopulation
Changingsocialandeconomicstructuralpatterns.
Asamandatedgrowthcentre,theCitywillberequiredtoplanforanexpansionofnearly70%morepersonsandjobsinthedowntownthancurrentlyexiststoday.Additionalpopulationwillrequiresupportingservices,suchasnewretailstores,personalservices,schools,andsimilaractivities.Whiletherearesomekeydevelopmentandintensificationsitesinthecore,itisunlikelythattherequiredpopulationandemploymentcanbeaccommodatedwithinsinglefunctionbuildings.Futurepoliciesmustencouragemixedusedevelopmentandensurethatitoccursinamannerthatcanaccommodatetherequiredsupportingcommercialandinstitutionalservices.
TheagingpopulationwillalsoplacechallengesonthepublicandprivatesectorinfrastructureandthedowntownisuniquelysuitedtobecomeafocalpointfortheCity’sseniors;owingtoitsconcentrationofresidentialapartments,accesstoretailandservices,thepedestrianfriendlyenvironment,proximitytothehospitalandavailabilityoftransit.
Changingfamilystructuralpatterns,andtheresultingtimecrunch,havechangedthewayCanadiansshop–givingrisetolargeformatfoodretailingandanincreaseintheconsumptionoffastfoodsandprocessedfoods.Seniorslivingalone,maybeparticularlychallengedbyrecentretaildevelopmentpatterns,whichfavourlargecentralizedretaildestinationsoverneighbourhoodshoppingnodes.Thechallengeforplannerswillbetocreateamoreefficienturbanstructure.
Intermsoftheretailsector,whilegrowthinlargeformatretailingisslowingandsomemajorchainsaredevelopingmoreurbanfriendlymodules,theentryofUSandforeignretailersandtheinvestmentsbeingmadeintorevitalizingoldersuburbancentres,willlikelymakeitdifficultfordowntowntocompeteasaregionalshoppingdestinationwithintheCity.
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Asindicatedbythesurveys,onlyasmallportionofvisitorscametothedowntowntospecificallyshop,butshoppedbecausetheywerethereforsomeotherpurpose(e.g.downtownresident,downtownemployee,visitingthewaterfront,attendingaperformance,etc.).Inouropinion,ensuringthatthissupportingfunctioncancontinuetothriveshouldbetheprimarygoalofaretailstrategyforthecore.Morespecialtyandregionalservingretailcomponentswillnaturallyevolveasthedowntowngrows.
PRELIMINARYPOLICYRECOMMENDATIONS
Basedontheinformationpresentedintheprevioussectionsofthispaper,aswellasthevariousotherresearchundertakenbyourprojectteamtodate,thefollowingprovidesanumberofpreliminarypolicyrecommendations,whichrelatespecificallytothedowntown.AdditionaldetailwithregardstotheserecommendationsiscontainedinthePhase1:CommercialPolicyandDesignReviewBackgroundReport.
Inparticular,therecommendationspresentedonthefollowingpagesrelatetothefollowing:
TheDowntownBoundaryanditsStructure;
EstablishingMinimumDensityTargets;
EstablishingSpecificMixed‐UseDensityTargets;
EstablishingaNewRetailStructure;and,
ProvidingIncentivesforIntensificationandNon‐ResidentialDevelopment.
Currently,theCity’scoreisdelineatedbytwoboundaries:theProvincialUrbanGrowthCentre(UGC)boundary,andtheCity’sDowntownMixedUseCentreboundary.TheProvinciallydesignatedUGCboundaryisanirregularboundarythatextendsacrosspartsoftheDowntownproper,mainlyalongtheMapleAvenue,LakeshoreRoad,andBrantStreetcorridors,terminatinginthenorthwestatProspectStreet.TheCity’sDowntownMixedUseCentreboundarycoversabroaderareaassociatedwiththeDowntown,boundedbyBaldwinStreetinthenorthwest,extendingouttoClarkeAvenue/MapleStreet/theQEWinthewestandsouthwest,androughlyTorrenceStreetintheeast.
InsupportoftheongoingworkregardingtheCoreCommitmentfortheDowntown,theCityhasidentifiedtheneedtorationalizetheDowntownboundaries.Aspartofthisexercise,itisimportanttoconsider,whatisthepurposeofestablishingaboundary?Fromacommunityplanningperspective,aboundaryisusedtoidentifyanareathatfunctionsasasystemand/orhascommonbuiltformcharacteristicsand
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transportationinfrastructure,andtothendevelopaframeworkformanagingchange(i.e.growth)overtimeinawaythatpreservestheuniquecharacteristicsofthearea,whileenhancingthephysicalandsocialfabricoftheestablishedcommunity.Fromacommercialplanningperspective,boundariesareusedtoidentifyhubsofcontiguousretailandothercommercialactivitythatfunctionasasystemand/orhavecommoncharacteristicsintheirbuiltformand/ortheytypesofproductsandservicesthatareoffered.Thecommercialplanningboundarymayalsoreflectthedestinations(homeaddresses)ofcustomers.
Usingthesecriteria,strategicconsiderationshouldbegiventogenerallymaintainingtheCity’sexistingboundaryfortheDowntown,withsomeminormodifications(e.g.removingthesouthernmostportionofthecurrentdesignationalongtheBurlingtonSkywaywherethelandusesandblockconfigurationsareinconsistentwiththeremainderofthecore).TooperationalizetheUGCdesignation,strategicconsiderationshouldalsobegiventoidentifyinganurbancorridornorthwestoftheDowntownalongBrantStreet,andtorevisitingtheprecinctdesignationswithintheDowntowntoensuredensitydistributionsareinformedbytheUGCboundary(i.e.theareawherethehighestdensitiesshouldbedirected).
EXISTINGBOUNDARIESFORDOWNTOWNBURLINGTON PROPOSEDDOWNTOWNBOUNDARY
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CoreCommitmenthasdefinedeightprecinctswithinthedowntowncore.Thisworkshouldberefinedinpolicybyrecognizing:
CoreandMainStreetRetailAreas,whichwouldgenerallybeconcentratedaroundthehistoricmainstreetshoppingdistrict(i.e.,BrantStreetandotheradjacentstreets);reflectingthecommercialhierarchyindowntown;
OpportunityAreas,whereopportunitiesforfuturedevelopmenthavebeenidentifiedorareanticipated;
Stable/EstablishedResidentialAreas,includingthoselocatedtotheimmediateeastandwestofthecommercialcoreofthedowntown;
TransitionAreas,includingthestretchofBrantStreetdirectlynorthofthecorecommercialareaofdowntown,aswellaseastandwestofBrantStreetonLakeshoreRoad;and,
Tourist&CulturalAreas,whichwouldbefocusedalongthewaterfrontandnearotherexistingorpotentialnewculturalamenitiesinthedowntownwithrestrictionsonprivatedevelopment.
Currently,theOfficialPlanincorporatestheProvinciallymandatedminimumdensitytargetof200peopleandjobsperhectarefortheDowntownasawhole.StrategicconsiderationshouldbegiventodevelopingminimumdensitytargetsfordifferentareasoftheDowntowntofacilitatedensitydistributionsthatreflecttheexistingandplannedbuiltformandblockconfigurations,inlinewiththeUGCandmobilityhubdesignations.TheseminimumdensitytargetscouldbeintegratedwithexistingheightanddensitypoliciesforthevariousDowntownprecinctsandwouldhelptocomprehensivelyplanforandmonitortheintensificationofBurlington’sDowntown.
Tooptimizetheuseoftransitandstrengthenthearea’seconomicbase,oneoftheobjectivesfortheDowntownistoattractmoreofficeandinstitutionallanduses.Beyondeconomicdevelopmentactivities,thereareanumberofpolicystrategiestheCitycouldconsidertoencouragethistypeofdevelopment,includingestablishingmixedusetargets(i.e.%requirements)forthedifferentprecincts,andestablishingajobs‐to‐residentstargetratio.
WithregardtocommercialusesintheDowntown,strategicconsiderationshouldbegiventopermittingretailandservice‐‐‐relatedusesmorebroadlythroughoutallareasoftheDowntown.Currently,commercialusesarenotpermittedthroughoutmuchofthearea,andthisisinconsistentwiththecharacteristicsofacompleteurbancommunity.TobetterintegratecommercialusesthroughoutDowntownneighbourhoods,retailpermissions/requirementscouldbede‐‐‐linkedfromtheprecinctdesignationsandre‐‐‐introducedthroughnew“retailprioritystreets”designations.
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InadditiontoestablishingmixedusetargetsfordifferentprecinctsintheDowntown,theCityshouldconsideridentifyingaPrimaryOffice/InstitutionalCoreArea,andprovidingincentivesfornewofficedevelopment,suchasreducedautomobileparkingstandardsandreducedparklanddedicationrequirements.TheCitycouldalsoconsideralinkagerequirement,wherebyapprovalforresidentialdevelopmentistiedtotheinclusionofnon‐‐‐residentialdevelopmentwithinthedevelopmentsite.
SUMMARY
Insummary,DowntownBurlingtonisgenerallyfunctioningwellandhastheemotionalsupportofresidentsacrosstheentireCity.Itismulti‐functionalprovidingforboththelocalneedsofdowntownbusinessesandresidents,aswellasmorebroadercivicfunctions,suchasaculturalandrecreationcentre,thecentreofgovernmentandaplacefortheCity’sfestivals.
Futurepolicydirectionshouldensurethatdowntowncancontinuetofulfillthesefunctionseffectively,whileatthesametimeensuringthatthegrowthmandatedbytheProvincialGrowthPlancanbeaccommodatedinamannerwhichenhancesratherthandetractsfromtheexistingcharacteristicscurrentlyenjoyedbyBurlingtonresidents.
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1 BACKGROUND
urbanMetricsandThePlanningPartnershiphavebeenretainedbytheCityofBurlingtontoundertakeaCommercialStrategyStudy,whichisbeingpreparedaspartoftheCity’songoingOfficialPlanReviewprocess.
TheCommercialStrategyStudyisintendedtore‐evaluatethecommercialpoliciesoftheCityofBurlingtonOfficialPlaninordertoaddressStrategicPlandirections,andtoensurethat:
theCity’spoliciesaddresscurrentandfuturecommerciallanduseneeds;
commercialareascanbeeffectivelyandefficientlyplanned;
policiesarereflectiveofrecentchangestocommerciallanduseplanningandothertrends;and,
policiescanbeeffectivelyimplemented.
OneareaoffocusfortheCommercialStrategyStudyistheCity’sDowntown,whichisanintegralcomponentofthecurrentcommercialsysteminBurlington.TheDowntownisalsoanareawhichhasbeenoverlaidwithanUrbanGrowthCentredesignation,assetoutintheProvinceofOntario’sGrowthPlanfortheGreaterGoldenHorseshoe.WithintheUrbanGrowthCentre,planningmustaccommodatespecificpopulationandemploymentdensitytargets.
ThisInterimCommercialStrategyDiscussionPaperrepresentsonecomponentofthebroaderCommercialStrategyStudybeingundertakenbyurbanMetricsandThePlanningPartnership.ItfocusesonthefollowingkeytopicsrelatingtoDowntownBurlington:
ThecurrentstateofDowntownBurlington;
ThevariousfunctionsservedbyDowntown;
HowwellDowntowniscurrentlymeetingtheneedsoftheCity;
TrendsandotherfactorsthatwillinfluencethefuturestateoftheDowntown;and,
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Howwellcurrentlanduseplanningpoliciesaresupportingitsvibrancy.
AspertheTermsofReference,“DowntownBurlington”hasbeendefinedastheareacentredonBrantStreet;generallyextendingfromLakeOntariointhesouthtoFairviewStreetinthenorth;betweentheQueenElizabethWay(QEW)andSmithAvenueinthewestandeast,respectively1.(SeeFigure1‐1).ThisAreaincludesalloftheDowntownMixedUseAreaasdefinedintheOfficialPlan,togetherwithanortherlyextensionalongBrantStreettoFairviewStreet.ThisareaislargerthantheProvincialGrowthCentreBoundaryinthat:itgenerallyextendsfurthernorthalongBrantStreet;includesthelowdensityneighbourhoodseastandwestofBrantStreet;andextendssoutherlyalongBurlingtonBeach.
1However,alsoasperthetermsofreference,aspartofthebroaderCommercialStrategyStudy,theboundariesofdowntownshouldbeevaluatedandredefinedifappropriate.
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FIGURE1‐1:DOWNTOWNBURLINGTONBOUNDARIES
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2 CURRENTSTATEOFDOWNTOWN
2.1 COMMERCIALSPACEINVENTORYINDOWNTOWNBURLINGTON
urbanMetricscompletedadetailedinventoryofalltheretailandservicecommercialspacelocatedinDowntownBurlingtoninOctober2012.Basedontheresultsofthisinventory,DowntownBurlingtoncurrentlycontainsapproximately1.09millionsquarefeet(101,000squaremetres)ofretail/servicecommercialspace.
AssummarizedinFigures2‐1to2‐3,morethantwothirds(69.3%)ofthisspaceiscurrentlytenantedbyservice‐basedcommercialfacilities,suchasBanks;FoodServicesandDrinkingPlaces(i.e.,full‐servicerestaurants,fast‐foodrestaurants,bars,pubs,andcafes),PersonalCareServices(i.e.,hairandbeautysalons,barbershops,tattooparlours,laundryservices)andHealthCareservicefacilities(e.g.,doctors,dentists,andotherofficesofhealthpractitioners).
Retailtenantscurrentlyrepresentonefifth(19.5%)ofthetotalcommercialspaceinDowntownBurlington.Bycomparison,retailtenantscompriseapproximately56%oftheinventoryfortheentireCity.
Similartomanydowntownshoppingdistricts,themajorityofdowntownretailspaceistenantedbyApparelandAccessoriesandFurniture,HomeFurnishingsandElectronicsstores.Infact,thesetwostorecategoriesaccountforapproximatelytwothirds(67.2%)ofthetotalretailspaceinDowntownBurlington,andamounttosome105,100squarefeetcombined.
Downtownsaremorelimitedintermsoftheirabilitytoattractthefullrangeofstorecategoriesfoundinanurbanmarketduetolimitationswithregardstolandarea,spaceandunitconfigurations.Storesthatoftenhavedifficultylocatingindowntown’sinclude:
Chainswithlargeandinflexiblefloorplates(e.g.departmentstores;manybigboxstores;warehousemembershipclubs;furnitureandappliancesuperstores;andbuildingsupplycentres.
Storeswhich,duetothenatureoftheiroperationsandmerchandise,relyalmostexclusivelyonautomobiletraffic(e.g.manyfurnitureandappliancestores;automotivepartsandrepairoutlets;homeandautostores;and,
Chains,whichhaveanexclusiveaffinitytolocatinginenclosedmallsorpowercentres.
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InthecaseofDowntownBurlington,thevastmajorityofretailunitsareunder5,000squarefeet,withsome65%under2,000squarefeet.Withonlyafewexceptions,theunitsover5,000squarefeetareoccupiedbyspecializedusessuchasrestaurants,officesorpublicservicesthatwouldnotlendthemselvestoretailuses.
Forthesereasons,itwouldbedifficulttosignificantlychangethegeneralretailmixindowntownBurlington,althoughtherearecertaincategoriesthatcouldbeexpandedinkeepingwithcurrenttrendsinotherdowntownareas,including:amedium‐to‐largescalepharmacy;electronics;officesupplies;sportinggoods/sportsapparel;dollarstores;giftandspecialtyretailoutlets.
FIGURE2‐1:DOWNTOWNESTABLISHMENTSBYSIZEANDCATEGORY
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
0 ‐ 1,999 2,000 ‐ 4,999 5,000 +Food Store Retail (FSR) 4 7 1 12Non‐Food Store Retail (NFSR) 42 25 3 70Other Retail 0 2 0 2Services 188 81 28 297Vacant 70 12 4 86Total Retail & Services 304 127 36 467
% of Total 65.1% 27.2% 7.7% 100.0%
RETAIL/SERVICE CATEGORY TOTALSTORE SIZE (sq ft)
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FIGURE2‐2:INVENTORYOFDOWNTOWNCOMMERCIALSPACEBYSUB‐CATEGORY
Retail/Service Category Total Floor Area (SF)
% of Total Number of Businesses
% of Total
RETAIL
Food Store Retail (FSR)Supermarkets and Grocery 26,300 2.4% 1 0.2%Convenience and Specialty Food 22,955 2.1% 11 2.4%
SUB‐TOTAL ‐ Food Store Retail (FSR) 49,255 4.5% 12 2.6%
Non‐Food Store Retail (NFSR)Pharmacies & Personal Care 12,000 1.1% 6 1.3%General Merchandise 11,850 1.1% 4 0.9%Apparel and Accessories 58,300 5.4% 34 7.3%Furniture, Home Furnishings and Electronics 46,800 4.3% 9 1.9%Miscellaneous Retail 23,833 2.2% 15 3.2%Building and Outdoor Home Supplies 3,500 0.3% 2 0.4%Automotive ‐ 0.0% ‐ 0.0%
SUB‐TOTAL ‐ Non‐Food Store Retail (NFSR) 156,283 14.4% 70 15.0%
Other RetailLiquor, Beer and Wine Stores 6,400 0.6% 2 0.4%
SUB‐TOTAL ‐ Other Retail 6,400 0.6% 2 0.4%
SERVICES
Finance 33,000 3.0% 5 1.1%Health Care 121,538 11.2% 48 10.3%Cultural, Entertainment and Recreation 69,800 6.4% 16 3.4%Food Services & Drinking Places 150,866 13.9% 55 11.8%Consumer Goods Rental 2,700 0.2% 1 0.2%Personal and Household Goods Repair 4,000 0.4% 1 0.2%Personal Care Services 76,000 7.0% 51 10.9%Selected Civic and Social Organizations 81,563 7.5% 18 3.9%Social Services 4,300 0.4% 4 0.9%Other Services 209,310 19.3% 98 21.0%
SUB‐TOTAL ‐ Services 753,077 69.3% 297 63.6%
VACANT
Vacant 121,684 11.2% 86 18.4%SUB‐TOTAL ‐ Vacant 121,684 11.2% 86 18.4%
GRAND TOTAL 1,086,699 100.0% 467 100.0%
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FIGURE2‐3:DOWNTOWNSPACEINVENTORY(SQUAREFEETGLA)
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
NFSR=Non‐foodStoreRetail
FSR=FoodStoreRetail
FSR49,255 5%
NFSR156,283 14%
OTHER RETAIL6,400 1%
SERVICES753,077 69%
VACANT121,684 11%
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2.2 CHANGEINDOWNTOWNCOMMERCIALSPACE2002‐2012
Figure2‐4summarizesthetotalchangeincommercialspaceinDowntownBurlingtonbetween2002and2012byretail/servicesub‐category.Thedatafor2002isbasedontheresultsofacommercialinventoryofDowntownBurlingtonthatwasundertakenbyRobinDee&AssociatesaspartoftheCity’spreviousOfficialPlanReviewRetailCommercialStudy(May2003).Thegeographicareasinventoriedin2002and2012areidentical.
Asshown,DowntownBurlingtonexperiencedaslightincreaseincommercialspaceduringtheindicatedperiod,withthemostsignificantgrowthintheservicesector;particularlytheMedical/DentalandRestaurantandFast‐Foodsubcategories.
Overall,theamountofretail/servicecommercialspaceinDowntownBurlingtonincreasedby18.9%between2002and2012;representinganaverageannualgrowthrateof1.9%.
Theoverallincreaseindowntowncommercialspacereflectsprimarilynewadditionsthroughnewconstructionorreuseofspace,asthetotalamountofvacantspacehasremainedrelativelystaticalthoughtherehasbeenconsiderablere‐leasingactivitysince2002.Onlyabout10%ofthevacantspacerecordedin2012wasinthesameunitsvacantin2002.
Inouropinion,theincreaseinoccupiedcommercialspaceoverthisperiodreflectsanumberoffactors,including:publicandprivateinvestmentinthewaterfrontandthecore;overallgrowthoftheCityofBurlington;andpotentiallychangestothelocalandProvincialhealthcaredeliverysystem,whichhasincreasedtheneedfornon‐hospitalrelatedmedicalservices.
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FIGURE2‐4:CHANGEINDOWNTOWNCOMMERCIALSPACE2002‐2012(SQUAREFEET)GLA
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
2.3 VACANTCOMMERCIALSPACE
Asindicatedinthefigureonthepreviouspage,thecurrentretailandservicecommercialvacancyrateinDowntownBurlingtonis11.2%.
Althoughthisisarelativelyhighvacancyrate–with“typical”or“normal”vacancyratesrangingbetween5.0%and8.0%–itisimportanttonotethattheDowntownBurlingtonratehasdecreasedsomewhatoverthepastdecade.Since2002,forexample,thevacancyrateinthisareahasfallenby1.7%fromahighofnearly13%.
Furthermore,itisevidentthatmostofthevacantspaceinDowntownBurlingtonisconcentratedinthreeagingcommercialplazas;VillageSquare(422PearlSt),TudorSquare(2022–2028CarolineStreetand515JohnStreet)andBurlingtonSquarePlaza(760BrantStreet).This
2002 2012 Change
Total Retail/Service Commercial Space 913,000 1,086,000 18.9%
Food and Drug Space 47,000 61,000 29.8%
All Other Retail Space 141,000 151,000 7.1%
Restaurant/Fast Food Space 114,000 151,000 32.5%
Banks/Credit Unions/Trust Companies 37,600 33,000 ‐12.2%
Medical/Dental Services 68,400 121,500 77.6%
All Other Services Space 388,000 447,500 15.3%
Vacancy Rate (%) 12.9% 11.2% ‐1.7%
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clusteringofvacantcommercialspaceishighlightedonFigure2‐5,whichillustratestherelativesizeandlocationofallthevacantcommercialunitsinDowntownBurlington,asofOctober2012.
Whencombined,thesethreecommercialplazascontainatotalofsome76,200squarefeetofvacantcommercialspace;representingwelloverhalf(62.6%)ofthetotalvacantspaceinDowntownBurlington.Excludingthesethreecentres,thevacancyrateforthebalanceofDowntownBurlingtonisonly4.8%;averyhealthylevel.Futurecommercialspacegrowthrequiredtosupportnewdowntownresidentsandbusinesseswill,therefore,generallystillneedtobeaccommodatedthroughnewbuildingconstructionratherthantheleaseupofexistingvacantspace.
Overall,therefore,itisevidentthattherelativelyhighvacancyrateinDowntownBurlingtonisskewedbyonlyasmallnumberofagingcommercialplazas,whichareinneedofupdating.Otherwise,commercialvacancyratesinDowntownBurlingtonremainatveryhealthylevels.
Furthermore,itisimportanttonotethatatleasttwooftheoldercommercialplazasidentifiedareundergoingaperiodoftransition;withredevelopmentand/orrevitalizationeffortsexpectedatthesesitesinthenearfuture.
Infact,anactivedevelopmentapplicationfortheblockcontainingTudorSquareat515JohnStreetisexpectedtoresultinacompleteredevelopmentofthissite.Similarly,theVillageSquarecomplexat422PearlStreetiscurrentlyforsale,andmaybesubjecttosomeformofrevitalizationorredevelopmentbyfutureownersoftheproperty.
RecognizingthattherewillbeaneedforadditionalcommercialspacetosupportpopulationandemploymentgrowthrequiredbytheProvince’sUrbanGrowthCentretargetsandthattherearelimitedopportunitiesfornewdevelopmentindowntown,itwillbeimportantthatatleastaportionoftheretailspacelostinTudorSquareandVillageSquareprojectsisreplacedaspartofanyredevelopment/revitalization.ThelocationandinternalspaceconfigurationofBurlingtonSquarehasneverbeenconduciveforretailspace.Inthelongterm,inanyredevelopmentofthissite,morestreetrelatedcommercialspaceshouldbeconsidered.AsBurlingtonSquareitoutsideofthedowntownpedestrianarea,therequirementforstreetrelatedretailspacewillhavetotakeintoconsiderationtheultimatelanduseconfigurationinthevicinityofthesite.
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FIGURE2‐5:SIZEANDLOCATIONOFVACANTCOMMERCIALUNITS
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2.4 DOWNTOWNCOMMERCIALSPACEINCOMPARABLECOMMUNITIES
Figure2‐6providesacomparisonofthetotalamountofretailandservicespacelocatedinBurlington’sdowntownrelativetoothercomparablecommunities,includingneighbouringOakville,aswellasWaterlooandWhitby.ThesecommunitieswerechosenbecausetheyareaffluentGTAandareamunicipalitieswithhistoricdowntownsandwithsimilarpopulationstoBurlington.Forreference,the2011populationforeachofthesecommunities–plusthenumberofindividualsresidingwithinaonekilometreradiusofeachofthedowntownsinthesecommunities–havealsobeenprovided.
Whitby’sdowntowncanbedescribedas“functional”.Ithasastrongneighbourhoodservingfunctionwithalargeconveniencecommercialfunction.Itstourismandculturalbaseislimited,althoughtherecentadditionofanewcentrallibraryhasactedasananchor.
Oakville’sdowntownplayslargelyaspecialtyretailandservicefunctionfortheaffluentOakvillecommunity.Itcontainsnosupermarketsandcontainsalimitedselectionoflocalservingretailoutlets.Nonethelessitishasperformedthisfunctionsuccessfullywithreasonablevacancylevels.Althoughitsuffersfromalackofcivicadministrationpresence,ithasbenefitedfromsignificantdowntowninvestment.
Waterloo’sdowntown,likedowntownBurlingtonplaysavarietyoffunctions,cateringtoboththelocalneedsofthegrowingdowntownpopulationandprovidingamoreregionalspecialtyretailfunction,inpartthroughtheredevelopmentofWaterlooTownCentre.LikeBurlington,theCity’sgreenfieldpotentialisnearingcapacity.Unliketheothercores,DowntownWaterloocaterstothelargesurroundinguniversitystudentpopulation.
Asshown,Burlingtoncontainsfarmorecommercialspaceinitsdowntownthananyoftheothercommunitiesidentified.Itisimportanttonote,however,thatDowntownBurlingtonalsocontainsalargerresidentialpopulation,andbasedonon‐streetcustomersurveys,itdrawssupportfromthepopulationintheadjoiningcommunities,includingHamiltonandOakville.Inaddition,thesurveysalsopointedtoalargewalk‐inpopulationfromtheadjoiningneighbourhoods.
Infact,whenconsideringtheamountofcommercialspaceinDowntownBurlingtononapercapitabasisfortheentireCity,itisnearlyidenticaltothatofbothWaterlooandWhitby(i.e.,6.2,6.0,and6.1squarefeetpercapita,respectively).
Furthermore,itisalsointerestingtonotethatDowntownBurlingtoncontainsacomparableamountofretailspace(i.e.,food/drugandotherretailstores)toothercommunities,whereasitcontainsanabove‐averagesupplyofservice‐basedcommercialfacilities.
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Relativetothepopulationwithinonekilometre,DowntownBurlingtonhasabout25%morespacethanWaterlooandOakvilleandasimilarsupplyasDowntownWhitby,whichmayrelatetotheimportanceofthelocalservingretailfunctioninBurlingtonandWhitbycomparedtotheotherdowntowns.
FIGURE2‐6:COMPARISONOFDOWNTOWNCOMMERCIALSPACEWITHCOMPARABLECOMMUNITIES
*Populationbasedon2011Census
Burlington Oakville Waterloo Whitby
2011 Population* 175,779 182,520 98,780 122,022
Population Within 1 Kilometre of Downtown* 10,686 7,467 7,852 7,898
Total Retail/Service Commercial Space (sq ft) 1,086,000 585,000 595,000 748,000
Food and Drug Space (sq ft) 61,000 22,000 51,200 99,000
All Other Retail Space (sq ft) 151,000 149,000 208,000 140,000
Restaurant/Fast Food Space (sq ft) 151,000 54,200 127,000 78,000
All Other Services Space (sq ft) 602,000 310,000 174,000 392,000
Vacancy Rate (%) 11.2% 8.5% 5.8% 5.3%
Downtown Commercial Space Per City Resident (sq ft per capita)
6.2 3.2 6.0 6.1
Downtown Commercial Space Per Population within 1 KM (sq ft per capita)
101.6 78.3 75.8 94.7
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2.5 OFFICECOMMERCIALSPACE
ThemajorityofofficespaceindowntownBurlingtoniscontainedinstreetfront/plazaunits,smallbuildings,andsecondfloorunits.
AsindicatedinFigure2‐7,DowntownBurlingtoncontainsavarietyoflocal‐servingofficespace,includingapproximately33,000squarefeetoffinancialservicesspace(e.g.,banks);121,500squarefeetofhealthcarespace(e.g.,officesfordoctorsandotherhealthcareprofessionals);andupwardsof85,000squarefeetofspacetenantedbysocialserviceofficesandothercivicandsocialorganizations.Inaddition,the209,000squarefeetofOtherServicesspaceidentifiedearlieriscomprisedofamixofofficesforlawyers,realestateprofessionals,insurancecompanies,financialadvisors,andotherprofessional,scientificandtechnicalservicetenants.
AdetailedsummaryofthedistributionofthistypeofofficespaceisincludedinFigure2‐7.Asshown,DowntownBurlingtoncurrentlycontainsatotalofapproximately450,000squarefeetofservice‐basedofficespace.
Inadditiontothisspace,basedona2012StudypreparedforBurlingtonEconomicDevelopmentbyDeloittes2,DowntownBurlingtoncontainsanestimated130,000squarefeetofClass“A”officespaceintwobuildings–390BrantStreet(SimsSquare)and760BrantStreet(BurlingtonSquare),aswellaslargeadministrative/governmentfunctions,includingCityHalland414LocustStreet.ItisimportanttorecognizethatClassAofficespace,inthiscontext,isasubjectiveandterm,andrelatesprimarilytothesizeofthebuildingsclassifiedrelativetothecompetitioninthelocalmarket.
Overall,however,theproportionofofficespaceinthedowntownrepresentsasmallfractionofthetotalspaceintheCity,whichhasbeencalculatedat4.3millionsquarefeetbasedonColliersQ3TorontoOfficeMarketReport.
Insummary,whiledowntowndoescontainanumberofofficeprojectsthatserveasimportantdrawsandactivitygenerators,itisnotamajorofficecentrewithintheCityasawhole.
2OfficeandRetailMarketsinDowntownBurlington,Deloittes,May2,2012.
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FIGURE2‐7:DISTRIBUTIONOFSERVICEBASEDOFFICESPACEBYSUB‐CATEGORY
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
Service Category Total Floor Area (SF)
% of Total Number of Businesses
% of Total
Finance (Banks & Credit Unions) 33,000 7.3% 5 2.9%
Health Care Services 121,538 27.0% 48 27.7%
Civic & Social Organizations 81,563 18.1% 18 10.4%
Social Services 4,300 1.0% 4 2.3%
Other Services 209,310 46.5% 98 56.6%Other Financial Services (e.g., advisors, mortgage brokers) 26,130 5.8% 19 11.0%Accountants, Tax Preparation Services, Bookings, Payroll 8,300 1.8% 8 4.6%Offices of Lawyers 12,900 2.9% 8 4.6%Other Legal Services 1,100 0.2% 1 0.6%Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers 15,752 3.5% 7 4.0%Insurance Agencies and Brokerages 5,500 1.2% 5 2.9%Management Consulting Services 3,300 0.7% 5 2.9%Public Relations Services 3,864 0.9% 2 1.2%Research & Development 4,800 1.1% 2 1.2%Survey and Mapping Services 500 0.1% 1 0.6%Other Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 110,222 24.5% 23 13.3%Other Scientific and Technical Consulting 1,000 0.2% 2 1.2%Employment Services 6,402 1.4% 6 3.5%Computer Systems Design and Related Services 1,700 0.4% 1 0.6%Advertising Agencies 700 0.2% 1 0.6%Graphic Design Services 900 0.2% 1 0.6%All Other Services 6,240 1.4% 6 3.5%
GRAND TOTAL 449,711 100.0% 173 100.0%
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2.6 FUTUREDEVELOPMENTSITES
MostofthelandsinDowntownBurlingtonhavealreadybeendevelopedforavarietyoflanduses,includingexistingretail/servicecommercialfacilities,officebuildings,establishedlowdensityresidentialneighbourhoodswithpredominantlydetachedhousing;residentialapartmentbuildings(e.g.,condominiumsandsenior’sresidences),aswellascultural,entertainment,andrecreationalfacilitiesalongthewater’sedge.
DowntownBurlingtondoes,however,containanumberofundevelopedandunder‐developedproperties,whichofferthepotentialfornewdevelopment.AmongthemostnotableofthesesitesarethetwoCity‐ownedparkinglotslocatedimmediatelyeastofBrantStreetbetweenJamesStreetandPineStreetinthenorthandsouth,respectively(i.e.,ParkingLots“4”and“5”).
Together,thesetwositesincludeatotalofapproximately1.5acres(0.6hectares)ofdevelopablelandarea.
Similarly,thedowntownalsocontainsanumberofagingstripretailsitesandsmallercommercialcentres,whichcouldpotentiallysupportnew,moreintensifieddevelopmentincomingyears.Fromaplanningperspective,thesesitesshouldberecognizedaspossiblecandidatesformixed‐useintensifieddevelopment.However,intermsofaddressingtheshort‐termsupplytheyshouldbeconsideredmorespeculativethanthesiteshighlightedonthefollowingmaps.
Figures2‐8and2‐9illustratethelocationofsomeofthespecificsitesthatareexpectedtosupportnewcommercialdevelopmentinthenearfuture:
ParkingLot4–municipally‐ownedparkinglotavailablefornewdevelopment;
ParkingLot5–municipally‐ownedparkinglotavailablefornewdevelopment;
TudorSquaresite–proposedcommercialdevelopmentofapprox.21,500sqft(2,000sqmetres)GFA;
392‐398PearlStreet–proposedsenior’shousingresidentialdevelopmenttoincludeapprox.5,400sqft(500sqmetres)commercialGFA;and,
2042LakeshoreRoad–proposeddevelopmenttocontainamixofuses,includinganestimated11,000sqft(1,025sqmetres)ofcommercialspace.
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Inadditiontothesesites,theBrantStreetspinenorthofCaroline,islargelycomprisedoflowdensityuses,includingdetached‐homes,autodealershipsandlow‐riseresidentialandcommercialbuildings,thatinthelongertermhavethepotentialforintensification.ThereisalsoasmallsiteonthenortheastcornerofGhentandBrant,diagonalfromBurlingtonSquare,currentlyusedasaparkinglotthatmayhavedevelopmentpotential.
FIGURE2‐8:LOCATIONOFFUTUREDEVELOPMENTSITES(SOUTH)
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FIGURE2‐9:LOCATIONOFFUTUREDEVELOPMENTSITES(NORTH)
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3 FUNCTIONSOFTHEDOWNTOWN
DowntownBurlingtoncurrentlycontainsawiderangeoflandusesandservesavarietyofdifferentfunctions;bothlocallyandwithinthecontextoftheCityasawhole.
Thedowntownservesasanimportantplacefor:
Shopping–representingthecommercialcoreoftheCityandcontainingapproximately1.1millionsquarefeetofretailandservicecommercialspace;
Working&Learning–supportingawiderangeofemploymentactivities,particularlyofficeandretail/servicecommercialbasedemployment,withanumberofmajoremployers,includingCityHallandJosephBrantMemorialHospital.
Living–containingamixofbothestablishedresidentialneighbourhoodswithpredominantlydetachedhousing,aswellasnewermediumandhighdensitycondominiumapartmentresidentialdevelopments;
Playing–offeringopportunitiesforavarietyofleisure,recreationalandentertainmentactivities,includingthosefocusedalongthewaterfrontandotherslocatedatvariousculturalattractionsthroughoutthedowntown(e.g.,BurlingtonPerformingArtsCentre,BurlingtonArtCentre,etc.);
CivicPresence–containingCityHallandotherimportantmunicipalandlocalinstitutions.
CommunityActivities–providingspaceforresidents,employeesandvisitorsofBurlingtontogatherandservingasthefocalpointofmanyoftheCity’sfestivalsandcommunityevents,and,
Transportation–containingBurlingtonTransit’sJohnStreetBusTerminal,aswellassupportingavarietyofothermodesofactivetransportation(e.g.,walkingandbiking)viatheCity’swaterfronttrailsystem.
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3.1 POPULATIONANDEMPLOYMENT
In2006,Burlington’sUrbanGrowthCentre–whichgenerallycorrespondstothehighestintensityportionsofDowntownBurlington–containedatotalofsome8,000residents.Similarly,theUrbanGrowthCentresupportsatotalofsome6,000employeesinthedowntownatthistime.Asperthe2011Census,theUrbanGrowthCentrehasincreaseditspopulationbyapproximately10%.
Withatotallandareaofsome117hectares,thistotalof14,000residentsandjobsintheUrbanGrowthCentrerepresentsadensityof120residentsandjobsperhectare.
BasedontheintensificationtargetssetoutintheProvince’sGrowthPlan,however,theCityofBurlingtonisrequiredtoplanforadensityof200residentsandjobsperhectareby2031inthisarea.
ThissuggeststhatthetargetdensityforDowntownBurlingtonin2031wouldincludeatotalof23,400residentsandjobscombined;representinganincreaseofapproximately9,400from2006levels(i.e.,growthofmorethan67%).
TheJanuary,2008BurlingtonIntensificationStudy,basedonasite‐by‐sitereviewestimatesthatsome2,200unitswithapopulationof3,750couldbedevelopedintheUrbanGrowthCentre.ThisfiguremaybelowinrelationtotheProvincialGrowthPlantarget.AspertheGrowthPlan,between2012and2031,theUrbanGrowthCentreitselfistargetedtoincreasefromatotalof14,000residentsandjobsin2006to23,400personsandjobsby2031,basedonadensitytargetof200personsandjobsperhectarein2031.Thisrepresentsgrowthofsome9,400personsandjobsoverthisperiod.BasedonCensuspopulationdata,itisestimatedthattheUrbanGrowthCentrepopulationin2006was7,600personsandtheworkforceisapproximately7,400.Thisrepresentsapopulation/employmentratioof54%/46%.Futuregrowthwilllikelybemoreheavilyorientedtoresidentialdevelopment.Thisisbecausethecurrentratioisheavilyinfluencedbyanumberoflarge‐scaleemployers,includingJosephBrantHospitalandBurlingtonCivicOffices,whichhavelimitedgrowthpotential.If75%ofdowntowngrowthiscomprisedofnewresidents,thiswouldresultinanincreaseofapproximately7,000newresidentsdowntownoragrowthof88%between2006and2031.BasedonCensusdata,between2006and2011,theDowntownpopulationgrewbysome800persons.Thiswouldresultinafuturegrowthbetween2011and2031ofapproximately6,200personsintheUrbanGrowthCentrealone.
Inotherwords,inordertoachievetheGrowthPlantarget,additionalopportunitiesmayneedtobeidentifiedbeyondthoseconsideredintheIntensificationStudy.
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Thisgrowthwillhavesignificantimplicationsintermsofattractingandaccommodatingsufficientretailandservicesspacetoservethesenewresidentsandworkers.
3.2 DOWNTOWNON‐STREETINTERCEPTSURVEYRESULTS
urbanMetricsconductedsome300ofon‐streetinterceptinterviewsinDowntownBurlingtonduringSeptemberandOctober,20123.TheresultsofthissurveyprovideadditionalinsightastothecurrentroleofDowntownBurlingtonandthespecifictypesofactivitiesthatarebeingperformedinthisarea.
AsillustratedonFigure3‐1,interviewswerecompletedateachofthefollowingfourlocationswithinthecentralportionofDowntownBurlington.
Location1–IntersectionofCarolineStreet&BrantStreet(74responses,26%)
Location2–IntersectionofJamesStreet&BrantStreet(85responses,29%)
Location3–IntersectionofLakeshoreRoad&BrantStreet(64responses,22%)
Location4–IntersectionofElizabethStreet&PineStreet(VillageSquare)(73responses,25%)
3Thestatisticalmarginoferrorvariesdependingonthequestionandthepercentageansweringeachresponse.Inourexperience,overallthesamplesizeprovidesreliableresultsforthequestionsaskedandthesizeofthepopulation.
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FIGURE3‐1:LOCATIONOFON‐STREETINTERCEPTSURVEYS
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AsindicatedinFigure3‐2,thesampleincludedabalanceddistributionofmalesandfemalesfromallagegroups.
FIGURE3‐2:GENDERANDAGEDISTRIBUTIONOFSURVEYPARTICIPANTS
Male13647%
Female15653%
GENDER DISTRIBUTION
4.8%
5.8%
21.9%
14.7%
19.2%
16.1%
11.3%
6.2%
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0%
15‐19
20‐24
25‐34
35‐44
45‐54
55‐64
65‐74
75+
AGE DISTRIBUTION
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AsillustratedinFigure3‐3,thesurveyrespondentsindicatedthattheyvisiteddowntownforavarietyofdifferentreasons.Onequarter(26%)oftherespondentsindicatedthattheylivedinDowntownBurlingtonandanadditional15%whoworkedthere.Allotherrespondentsindicatedthattheywereindowntowntoperformotheractivities,suchasshopping;dining;foranappointment,ortoholdbusinessmeetings.
ThisfurtherconfirmsthatDowntownBurlingtonisamulti‐functionalcentrewithnoonedominantactivity.
FIGURE3‐3:PRIMARYREASONFORVISITINGDOWNTOWNBURLINGTON
Live Downtown7526%
Work Downtown4515%
Shopping3813%
Appointment3612%
Dining269%
All Other7225%
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Onlyabout13%ofrespondentstravelleddowntownspecificallytoshop.Aswithmostdowntownsnotaccessedbyrapidtransit,themajorityofretailfacilitiesexisttoservenearbyresidentsandemployees.Thebalancetendstoconsistofspecialtyretailwithamoreregionaldrawwhichbenefitsfromtheuniqueambienceprovidedbydowntownenvironments.
Figure3‐4illustratesthefrequencywhichsurveyrespondentsindicatedtheyvisitDowntownBurlington–intotalandspecificallyintheevening.Asshown,thereportedfrequencyofvisitswasquitehigh,withapproximately70%indicatingthattheyvisitDowntownBurlingtonmorethanonceaweekandanadditional12%visitingatleastonceaweek.Thisisparticularlynoteworthygiventhatonly41%oftherespondentsliveorworkinthearea.
BasedonthesurveyresultsillustratedinFigure3‐4,however,itisalsoevidentthatrespondentsvisitthedowntownmuchlessfrequentlyduringtheevening.Infact,morethanhalfoftherespondents(57%)indicatedthattheyvisitDowntownBurlingtonduringtheeveningatafrequencyoflessthanonceaweek;andnearlyonethird(30%)visitlessthanonceamonth.
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FIGURE3‐4:FREQUENCYOFVISITSTODOWNTOWNBURLINGTON
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
69.8%
12.2%
9.4%
6.3%
2.4%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0%
More than once a week
Once a week
1 ‐ 3 times per month
Less than once a month
First time
FREQUENCY OF VISITS (TOTAL)
26.8%
16.8%
26.8%
23.0%
6.5%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0%
More than once a week
Once a week
1 ‐ 3 times per month
Less than once a month
Never
FREQUENCY OF VISITS (EVENING)
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Nearlyhalf(47.4%)oftherespondentsindicatedthattheytravelledtoDowntownBurlingtonbyautomobile(i.e.,car,motorcycle,etc.)onthedaythattheyweresurveyed.
Overall,however,themajorityofvisitorssurveyedtravelledbysomemeansotherthanbycar;with44%eitherwalkingorridingtheirbicycleandapproximately8%takingpublictransit.
FIGURE3‐5:MODEOFTRANSPORTATIONDOWNTOWNONDAYOFSURVEY
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
47.4%
40.2%
3.8%
7.6%
0.0%
1.0%
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0% 50.0%
Car / Motorcycle
Walk
Bicycle
Public Transit
Taxi
Other
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Surveyrespondentswerealsoaskedtorate–onascalefromonetoten–howimportantitwastothemthatDowntownBurlingtonperformanumberofpre‐definedfunctions;assummarizedinFigure3‐6.
Thefivetop‐ratedfunctionsrelatedtosocial,entertainment,culturalandrecreationalactivities.Forexample,itwasmostimportanttorespondentsthatthedowntownserveasaplacefortheCity’sfestivals,whichreceivedanaverageresponseratingof9.1outof10.
Similarly,itwasalsoimportantthatDowntownBurlingtonbetheculturalcentrefortheCity,aswellasserveasaplacetomeetfriends;takeout‐of‐townvisitors;andenjoyrecreationalandleisureactivities.Allofthesefunctionsreceivedanaverageratingofatleast8outof10.
Fromacommercialperspective,itisalsointerestingtonotethatrespondentssuggestedthatitwasmoreimportantthatdowntownbeaneighbourhoodshoppingdestinationthanaregionalshoppingdestination,withratingsof7.7and6.4outoften,respectively.
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FIGURE3‐6:PERCIEVEDFUNCTIONSFORDOWNTOWN
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
9.1
8.7
8.6
8.4
8.2
7.7
7.5
6.4
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
A place for the City's Festivals
A place to meet friends
A place to take out‐of‐town visitors
A place to enjoy recreation and leisure activities
The cultural centre for the City
A neighbourhood shopping destination
A place for people to work
A regional shopping destination
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT THAT DOWNTOWN BURLINGTON BE...
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3.3 CITYOFBURLINGTONTELEPHONEANDON‐LINESURVEYS
Atotalofsome885consumersurveys(364fully‐completedtelephonesurveys,261fully‐completedon‐linesurveysand260partiallycompleteon‐linesurveys4withBurlingtonresidentswerecompletedtodeterminetheexistingexpenditurepatternsofmunicipalresidents;establishtheexistingmarketsharesbeingcapturedbyCityofBurlingtonretailfacilities;andtheoutflowofsalestostoreslocatedoutsidetheCity.
ThefollowingchartssummarizetheresultsastheyrelatetoDowntownBurlington.Figure3‐7summarizestheshareofBurlingtonresidentsexpendituresbycategorymadeindowntown.Thehighestdowntownmarketsharerelatestorestaurants(23.6%),followedbyspecialtyfood(13.5%),miscellaneousretail11.3%,andfashion(10.9%).Theseresultspointtothestrengthofthedowntownasarestaurantdestination,andaplaceforspecialtyretail.
4Partiallycompletesurveyswereterminatedbytherespondentspriortoreachingtheendofthesurveydocument.Wheresufficientinformationtocategorizetherespondentwasavailable,someresultsfrompartiallycompletedsurveyswereincorporated.
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FIGURE3‐7:DOWNTOWNBURLINGTONMARKETSHARES
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
Figure3‐8summarizestherespondentsassessmentofthesupplyofvarioustypesofretailstoresdowntown.Thecategoriesinwhichrespondentsfeltneededbolsteringthemostwerespecialtyfoodstores(36%ofrespondents)andsupermarkets(31%ofrespondents),illustratingtheimportanceoffoodtothedowntownretailmix.Theonlycategoryinwhichmorerespondentsindicated“toomany”ratherthan“needsmore”,wasfastfoodrestaurants.TheseresultsarenotthatdissimilarfromtherespondentsperceptionsofthesupplyofstorecategoriesfortheCityasawhole.Inbothcasesspecialtyfoodwasthehighestratedcategoryforwhichrespondentsperceivedmorestoreswereneededandfastfoodwasthecategoryforwhichrespondentsoverwhelminglyreportedwasoverrepresented.
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FIGURE3‐8:AVAILABILITYOFEXISTINGSTORETYPESDOWNTOWN
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
Figure3‐9summarizesthefrequencywhichBurlingtonresidentsvisitdowntown.FortheCityasawhole,thefrequencyofvisitationwasmuchlowerthanfortherespondentsoftheon‐streetsurveys.Almost19%ofCityresidentsindicatedthattheynevervisitdowntownBurlington.Overall,over50%indicatethattheyvisitDowntowneitherneverorlessthanoncepermonth.Theseresultsindicatethemorelocalservingnatureofdowntown.ThemajorityofBurlingtonresidentstraveldowntowninfrequently,whereasthedowntownmarketismadeuplargelyofpersonsvisitingmorethanonceperweek.
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FIGURE3‐9:FREQUENCYOFVISITSTODOWNTOWNBURLINGTON
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
Figure3‐10summarizesthemodeoftransportationmostfrequentlyusedbyBurlingtonresidentswhentravellingdowntown.UnliketherespondentstotheBurlingtonon‐streetsurveyinwhichover40%oftherespondentswalkeddowntown,almost80%ofBurlingtonresidentsasawholedrive.Only13%ofallresidentswalk.Theseresultsstresstheimportanceofparkingandvehicularaccessifthedowntownisgoingtoexpanditspenetrationintonon‐downtownneighbourhoods.
Alternatively,theseresultsincombinationwiththedowntownon‐streetsurvey,indicatethatdowntownresidentsaremuchlesslikelytodrivethantheBurlingtonpopulationasawhole.Astrategywhichfocusesonbolsteringthepopulationofdowntownanditsadjacentneighbourhoodswillreducethedemandfordowntownparking.
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FIGURE3‐10:MODEOFTRANSPORTATIONDOWNTOWN
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
Figure3‐11summarizesBurlingtonresidents’satisfactionwithdowntownparking,intermsofprice,convenienceandadequacy.Asindicated,althoughthemajorityofresidentsindicatedthatparkingwasadequate,convenientandreasonablypriced,therewasstillasignificantproportionofrespondentswhohadamorenegativeperceptionsofdowntownparking.Forexamplealmosthalfoftherespondentsindicatedthattheamountofparkingspaceswasnotadequate.
Itisimportanttorecognizethatthereisaverysignificantperceptualcomponentinparkingrelatedquestions.Forexample,personswhotraveldowntowninfrequentlymaydosobecauseoftheirperceptionofparkingissues.Asaresult,theymaynotbeasfullyawareoftheparkingsupplyandalternativeparkingstrategiesassomeonewhotravelsdowntownonaregularbasis.Forexample,oftherespondentstothedowntownon‐streetsurvey,some77.5%indicatedthatparkingwasadequate,whileover70%indicatedthatitwasconvenientandreasonablypriced.
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Theseresultssuggestthat,tosomeextent,parkingissuecanbeaddressedthroughbettercommunicationswiththeBurlingtonpopulationasawhole.Forexample,publishingon‐lineparkingmapswhichshownotonlythelocationandcostofdowntownparkingareas,butalsoaverageoccupancyratesduringvariestimesoftheday.Wheretechnologiesareavailable,up‐to‐the‐minuteparkingavailabilitycanbeshownonthewebsite.Apublicrelationscampaignaddressingparkingissuesandsolutionswouldalsoassistineasingmisperceptionsregardingtheavailabilityofdowntownparking.
FIGURE3‐11:SATISFACTIONWITHDOWNTOWNPARKING
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
Figure3‐12summarizesBurlingtonresidentsperceptionsoftheroleplayedbyDowntown.Whilethemagnitudeofscoresweregenerallyslightlylowerthanthosegivenbytherespondentstothedowntownsurvey,theoverallpatternofresultswassimilar.“AplacefortheCity’sfestivals”rankedhighestandaregionalshoppingdestinationrankedlowest.Downtownwasrankedlowerasaneighbourhoodshopping
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destinationbyresidentsoftheCityasawholethanthedowntownsurveyrespondents.Onthewhole,however,thesefunctionsweregenerallysupportedbyboththerespondentstothedowntownon‐streetsurveyandresidentsoftheCityasawhole.
FIGURE3‐12:PERCEIVEDFUNCTIONSFORDOWNTOWN(SCOREOUTOF10)
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3.4 DOWNTOWNTRADEAREA
ThefollowingprovidesanoverviewofthegeographicdistributionofpatronsofDowntownBurlington,basedonpostalcodeinformationobtaineddirectlyfromrespondentswhoparticipatedintheon‐streetinterceptsurveys.
AssummarizedinFigure3‐13,approximately80%oftherespondentssurveyedoriginatedfromwithintheCityofBurlington.Infact,themajorityoftheindividualssurveyed(69%)currentlyresideinthesouthernportionofBurlington(i.e.,southoftheQueenElizabethWay(QEW)andHighway403).
Asareference,in2002asimilarsurveyofdowntownshoppersindicatedthat70%livedindowntownBurlington,suggestingaslightcontractionofthetradearea.
Anadditional14%ofrespondentsoriginatedfromothernearbycommunities,including11%and3%fromvariouspartsofHamiltonandOakville,respectively.
FIGURE3‐13:GEOGRAPHICDISTRIBUTIONOFDOWNTOWNVISITORS
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
Location/Community# of Survey Respondents
% of Total
City of Burlington 232 79.5%Burlington South (south of Queen Elizabeth Way and Highway 403) 201 68.8%Burlington North (north of Queen Elizabeth Way and Highway 403) 31 10.6%
Other Nearby Communities 40 13.7%Town of Oakville 9 3.1%City of Hamilton 31 10.6%
All Other Locations 20 6.8%
Grand Total 292 100.0%
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Figures3‐14and3‐15furtherillustratethegeographicdistributionofpatronsofDowntownBurlington,basedontheresultsoftheon‐streetinterceptsurveys.
Figure3‐14includesaplotofalltherespondentoriginlocations,andclearlyillustratestheclusteringofpatronsinandaroundthedowntownarea.
Similarly,the“heat”mapsonFigure3‐15illustratetherelativeintensityofareaswiththehighestnumberofsurveyrespondents.Forreference,itshouldbenotedthatareasinpurplerepresentarelativelylowconcentrationofrespondentoriginswhileorangeshadingrepresentsaveryhighconcentration.
AlthoughallofthesemapsconfirmthatthemajorityofDowntownBurlingtonpatronsoriginatefromwithinarelativelyshortdistanceofthecore,itisalsoimportanttonotethatthedowntownappearstoattractindividualsfromacrosstheCity;fromneighbouringcommunitiessuchasHamiltonandOakville,andfromasfarawayascommunitieslikeGuelphandMississauga5.
Asillustratedbythefollowingmap,thePrimaryTradeAreaforthedowntown,whichwouldrepresentthesourceofthemostcustomersonconsistentandongoingbasis,hasbeendefinedastheareaeastofKingRoad,southof403/QEW,westofWalkersLineandnorthofthelake.TheSecondaryTradeAreahasbeendefinedasthebalanceoftheCityofBurlington.
Asnotedpreviously,theCityortheentireTradeArearepresentssome80%ofcustomerorigins,whilethePrimaryTradeArearepresentssome63%ofdowntownvisitorswithapopulationof46,000.BasedonHaltonRegion’sBestPlanningestimates,thisisexpectedtoreach53,000by2031,largelythroughinfillandintensification.ThelargestshareofthisgrowthwouldoccurwithintheUrbanGrowthCentre.
5Thistypeofsurveymayslightlyoverestimatethewalk‐inpopulationasitmaynotcapturepersonswhodrivedirectlytoapointoforigindowntownanddonottaketypicalpedestrianrouteswherethesurveyswereconducted.
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FIGURE3‐14:ON‐STREETINTERCEPTSURVEYS‐RESPNDENTORIGINS
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
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FIGURE3‐15:CUSTOMERORIGINS‐ HEATMAPPING
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FurthertotheTradeAreainformationpresentedabove,thefollowingprovidesamoredetailedsummaryoftheactualexpenditurepatternsofsurveyrespondents,basedontheresultsoftheon‐streetinterceptsurveys.
Inparticular,Figures3‐16and3‐17summarizethetotalamountthatsurveyrespondentsspent–orplannedtospend–inDowntownBurlingtononthedaythattheyweresurveyed.Forsimplicity,theseexpenditureshavebeensummarizedintooneofthreemajorretail/servicecategories,asfollows:
Restaurants&FastFood(i.e.,service‐basedfoodexpenditures);
Grocery&Food(i.e.,retail‐basedfoodexpenditures);and,
OtherRetail(e.g.,allotherretailexpenditures,includingthosemadeatapparel&accessoriesstores,homefurnishingsstores,giftshops,etc.).
Forreferencepurposes,theexpendituredatapresentedinthetablesonthefollowingpageshavealsobeensummarizedbyrespondentorigin,basedonthehomelocationofeachsurveyrespondent(i.e.,CityofBurlingtonvs.othercommunities).
Asillustratedinthetablebelow,surveyrespondentsindicatedthattheyspent–orplannedtospend–atotalof$11,178inDowntownBurlingtononthedaysthattheyweresurveyed.Ofthistotal,approximately31%,24%,and45%wasspentatRestaurant&FastFood,Grocery&Food,andOtherRetailestablishments,respectively.
Furthermore,itisevidentthatthemajorityofdowntownexpendituresweremadebyresidentsofBurlington;particularlythosewholivenearthedowntown(i.e.,intheBurlingtonSoutharea).Overall,BurlingtonSouthrespondentsaccountedformorethanhalf(60.5%)ofthetotalvalueofallexpenditures.ThisrelationshipwasparticularlystrongforGrocery&Foodexpenditures,whichistypicalofsuchlocal‐servingandneighbourhood‐orientedretailfacilities.
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FIGURE3‐16:DISTRIBUTIONOFEXPENDITURESBYSTORECATEGORYANDRESPONDENTORIGIN
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
Itisalsointerestingtonotethatresidentsfromothercommunities–particularlythoseoriginatingfrombeyondneighbouringOakvilleandHamilton–spentmorethanresidentsoftheCityofBurlingtononaverage(i.e.,onthedayofthesurvey).
AssummarizedinFigure3‐17,forexample,respondentsfromtheCityofBurlingtonspentanaverageof$36perrespondent,whereasout‐of‐townvisitorsfromAllOtherLocations(i.e.,excludingOakvilleandHamilton)spentapproximately142%moreperrespondent(i.e.,$87onaverage).
$ % $ % $ % $ %
City of Burlington 2,713$ 78.4% 2,370$ 87.5% 3,251$ 64.9% 8,334$ 74.6%Burlington South (south of Queen Elizabeth Way and Highway 403) 2,405$ 69.5% 2,210$ 81.5% 2,151$ 42.9% 6,766$ 60.5%Burlington North (north of Queen Elizabeth Way and Highway 403) 308$ 8.9% 160$ 5.9% 1,100$ 22.0% 1,568$ 14.0%
Other Nearby Communities 328$ 9.5% 260$ 9.6% 517$ 10.3% 1,105$ 9.9%Town of Oakville 70$ 2.0% 20$ 0.7% 160$ 3.2% 250$ 2.2%City of Hamilton 258$ 7.5% 240$ 8.9% 357$ 7.1% 855$ 7.6%
All Other Locations 419$ 12.1% 80$ 3.0% 1,240$ 24.8% 1,739$ 15.6%
Grand Total 3,460$ 87.9% 2,710$ 97.0% 5,008$ 75.2% 11,178$ 84.4%
% of Total 3,460$ 31.0% 2,710$ 24.2% 5,008$ 44.8% 11,178$ 100.0%
TOTALLocation/Community
Restaurant & Fast Food Grocery & Food Other Retail
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ThisdifferencewasparticularlyevidentforspendingintheOtherRetailcategory,wheretheaverageexpenditureforpatronsoriginatingfrombeyondBurlington,OakvilleandHamiltonwasmorethanfourtimesgreaterthanthatofBurlingtonresidents(i.e.,$62and$14perrespondent,respectively).
FIGURE3‐17:AVERAGEEXPENDITUREPERRESPONDENTBYCATEORYANDORIGINOFRESPONDENT
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
Location/Community
City of BurlingtonBurlington South (south of Queen Elizabeth Way and Highway 403)Burlington North (north of Queen Elizabeth Way and Highway 403)
Other Nearby CommunitiesTown of OakvilleCity of Hamilton
All Other Locations
Grand Total
$20.95
$11.69$11.97$9.94
$11.85
$10.22 $14.01 $35.92$11.00 $10.70 $33.66$5.16 $35.48 $50.58
$9.28 $17.15 $38.28
$7.74 $11.52 $27.58
$4.00 $62.00 $86.95
Restaurant & Fast Food Grocery & Food Other Retail TOTAL
$6.50 $12.93 $27.63$2.22 $17.78 $27.78
$8.20$7.78$8.32
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4 HOWWELLISDOWNTOWNSERVINGTHECITY
4.1 ON‐STREETVISITORINTERCEPTSURVEY
Furthertotheinformationpresentedintheprevioussection,theon‐streetinterceptsurveysalsoincludedquestionsrelatingtothelevelofsatisfactionpatronsofDowntownBurlingtonexperiencedintermsoftheavailabilityofspecifictypesofretailandservicefacilitieslocatedinthedowntown.
Similarly,respondentswerealsoaskedtoprovideexamplesofthespecifictypesofimprovementsthattheywouldliketoseeinDowntownBurlington.
Thevarioustypesofretail,serviceandentertainmentfacilitiesthatrespondentswouldliketoseeaddedtoDowntownBurlingtonaresummarizedinFigure4‐1.
Asshown,approximately37%ofallrespondentsindicatedthattheywouldliketoseeanewmovietheatreaddedtothedowntown;particularlyonethatoffers“first‐run”films.Thisisparticularlyrelevant,giventhattheseresponseswereprovidedpriortotheannouncedclosingoftheEncoreTheatreinUpperCanadaPlace–theonlycinemainthedowntowncore.
Similarly,morethanonefifth(21%)ofrespondentsdesiredmorespecialtyfoodstoreoptions,suchasbakeriesanddelis,whilenearlyonequarter(23%)indicatedthattheywouldmakeuseofnewrestaurants,pubs,cafesandfastfoodestablishmentsiftheywerelocateddowntown.
Furthermore,approximately25%ofsurveyparticipantsindicatedthattherewere“other”typesofcommercialestablishmentsthattheywouldliketoseeaddedtothedowntownaswell.Themajorityoftheseresponsesrelatedtotheexpansionofentertainmentoptionsforyoungerresidentsandvisitors;particularlythoseinthe19‐34agegroup.Thefollowingprovidesasampleofsomeofthespecificentertainment‐basedfacilitiesdesired:
Nightclubs;
Amphitheatre/concertstageonthewaterfront;
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Amusementpark;
Livemusicvenuesand/orclubs;and,
Poolhallsandbowlingalleys.
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FIGURE4‐1:RETAIL,SERVICEANDENTERTAINMENTFACILITIESDESIRED
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
37.3%
20.5%
9.9%
9.6%
7.5%
6.2%
3.1%
2.4%
25.0%
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0%
Movie Theatre
Specialty Food Stores (bakeries, delis, etc)
Clothing, Jewellery & Accessories stores
Full‐Service Restaurants & Pubs
Cafes
Fast Food Restaurants
Hair Salon/Beauty Parlour/Spa
Furniture, Home Furnishings & Electronics stores
Other
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IntermsoftheadditionalimprovementsthattheCitycouldmaketothedowntown,responseswererelativelyevenlydistributedacrossawidevarietyoftopics.
AmongthemostfrequentresponsesincludedcommentsrelatingtofinishingconstructionofthepierprojectatthefootofBrantStreetandthewaterfront.Infact,morethanonequarterofrespondents(26%)offeredthissuggestionasoneofthetopimprovementstheCitycouldmaketothedowntown.
Othercommonlyproposedimprovementsincluded:
Better/morefrequenttransitoptions;
Moreaffordablehousingnearthewaterfront;
Establishingpriorityforpedestriansandcyclists;
Permanent/morefrequentstreetclosures;
Freeparkingtocompetewithlargershoppingcentres;
Morepublicartinstallations;
BeautificationandstreetscapeimprovementsalongBrantStreet;and,
Expansionofavailableparkspace.
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4.2 DOWNTOWNPUBLICWORKSHOPVISIONING
DuringtheDowntownPublicWorkshoppublicconsultationevent–whichwasheldonNovember7,2012attheBurlingtonArtCentre–localresidents,businessowners,andothermembersofthepublicwereaskedtoparticipateinaninteractive“visioning”exercise.Thisexerciseinvolvedpollingparticipantsbasedonquestionsthatrelatedtoboththecurrentandfuturestatesofthedowntown.
Intotal,morethan130membersofthepublicparticipatedinthisexercise,ofwhichapproximately64%wereresidentsofthedowntown.Inaddition,approximately18%oftheseparticipantsindicatedthattheyweretheownerofabusinesslocatedinDowntownBurlington.
Thefollowingprovidesabriefsummaryoftheresultsofthisexerciseandgenerallyfocusesonthefollowingtopicsconsideredduringthepublicconsultationevent:
Participants’overallsatisfactionwiththecurrentstateofDowntownBurlington;
ThespecificfunctionsthatrequirethemostattentionbytheCity;
ThetopthingsthatparticipantswouldliketoseeaddedtoDowntownBurlington;and,
ThespecifictypesofretailandservicecommercialfacilitiesthatpeoplewouldliketoseeaddedtoDowntownBurlington.
AsindicatedinFigure4‐2,themajorityofpeoplewhoattendedthepublicconsultationeventagreedthatDowntownBurlingtonalready“hasalotgoingforit”.Infact,morethan87%ofrespondentseitheragreedorstronglyagreedwiththisstatement,whereaslessthanonepercentdisagreedorstronglydisagreed.Thebalanceoftheparticipants(11.5%)wereneutralintheiropiniononthecurrentstateofthedowntown.
TheseresultsstronglyconfirmthatBurlingtonalreadyhasaveryhealthyandattractivedowntown,whichisgenerallymeettheneedsoflocalresidents.
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FIGURE4‐2:CONFIDENCEINDOWNTOWN
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
Strongly Agree31.9%
Agree55.8%
Neutral11.5%
Disagree0.9% Strongly Disagree
0.0%
"DOWNTOWN BURLINGTON CURRENTLY HAS A LOT GOING FOR IT"
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Despitetheiroverallsatisfactionwiththearea,however,participantsalsoconfirmedthattherewereseveralaspectsofthedowntownthatrequireimproving.
Inparticular,manyrespondentswereoftheopinionthatthedowntownneedstoabetterjobofservingasaneighbourhoodshoppingdestination.Aconsensuswasnotreachedonthistopic,however,asvotesweredistributedrelativelyevenlyamongtheoptionsprovided.
FIGURE4‐3:FUNCTIONSMOSTNEEDINGATTENTIONBYTHECITY
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
18.8%
16.0%
13.7%
12.1%
12.1%
10.1%
9.5%
4.9%
2.8%
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0%
Neighbourhood Shopping Destination
Place to Live
Entertainment Centre
Place to Play and Have Fun
Place to Work
Cultural Centre
Regional Shopping Destination
Tourist Centre
Civic Centre
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ParticipantsattheeventalsovotedonthetopthingsthattheywouldliketoseeaddedtoDowntownBurlington.AssummarizedinFigure4‐4,thetopthreeselectionsrelatedtotheadditionofnewretail/servicecommercialandentertainmentfacilitiesintheCity’score.
Specifically,thetopthreecategoriesidentifiedbelowaccountedformorethanhalfoftheresponses;withentertainmentopportunities,retailstoresandrestaurants/cafesreceivingapproximately54%ofthevotesoverall(i.e.,21.6%,17.1%and15.2%,respectively).
FIGURE4‐4:TOPTHINGSBURLINGTONNEEDSMOREOF
Source:urbanMetricsinc.
21.6%
17.1%
15.2%
13.6%
10.9%
8.5%
6.7%
5.1%
1.3%
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0%
Entertainment Opportunities
Retail Stores
Restaurants & Cafes
Parks and Open Space
Places to Live
Office Space
Personal Services
Activities for Kids
Fast Food Establishments
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4.2.1 ROUNDTABLEDISCUSSIONS(TABLETOPICS)
Inadditiontothevisioningportionofthemeetingwhichwasconductedwiththeentiregroupofsome130stakeholders,theparticipantswereredistributedintosmallerroundtablestofurtherdeveloptheideasandissuespresentedpreviously.Thefollowingprovidesahigh‐leveloverviewofthetypesofcommentsthatwerecollectedduringthesetabletopicdiscussions;particularlyastheyrelatetohowwellDowntownBurlingtoniscurrentlymeetingtheneedsandwantsoftheCity’sresidentsfromacommercialperspective.
Therewasanoverwhelmingnumberofcommentsfromthepublicindicatingthattheywouldliketoseemorespecialtyfoodstoresinthedowntown;includingbutchers,fishmarkets,bakeries,gourmetfoodshops,freshproduce/fruitstores;organic/healthfoodstoresandoptionsforvegans/vegetarians/gluten‐freeshoppers.
Similarly,participantsalsoindicatedthattherewasaneedforasecondsupermarket/grocerystoreinthedowntown,whichconfirmtheresultsofboththeon‐streetinterceptsurveysandvisioningexercise.
Afarmer’smarketwasalsofrequentlyidentifiedasahighlysought‐afteroptionforlocalresidentstopurchasefreshproduceandrelatedfooditems.
Othersuggestionsofthetypesofretail/servicefacilitiesthatweredesiredinthedowntownmainlyrelatedtoneighbourhood‐orientedretailestablishments,suchashardwarestoresandpharmacies/drugstores.
Similarly,otherfrequentlymentionedtopicsincluded:
Theredevelopment/revitalizationoftheVillageSquaresite;
Addingmoreentertainmentvenues(e.g.,livemusicvenues,etc.)
Expandingtransitoptions;
Increasingthesupplyofparking(e.g.,moremulti‐storeyparkingstructures);
Improvingcyclingandpedestriannetworks(i.e.,dedicatedlanes,safer,betterlighting,bicycleparkingoptions,connectionswithdowntownfromwaterfront);
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Improvingway‐findingandsignage(e.g.,maps,directories,streetsigns)
Providingmoreaffordableshoppingoptions;
Establishingmoreaffordablehousingoptionsforalldemographics(e.g.,youngfamiliesandsingles);
Attractingmoreeducationalinstitutions(e.g.,university/collegecampusesorsatellitecampuses);and,
Addingmoregreenspaceandexpandingotherexistingpublicspaces.
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5 FUTURECHALLENGESANDTRENDS
ThefollowingprovidesabriefsummaryofsomeofthespecifictrendsandchallengesthatDowntownBurlingtoncanexpecttofaceinthecomingyearsandthetypesoffactorsthatwilldrivefuturechangeinthearea.AmoredetailedsummaryofthefuturechallengesandtrendsfacedbytheretailsectoringeneralhasbeenprovidedintheBurlingtonCommercialMarketAnalysisReport,whichhasbeencompiledaspartofthisassignment.
5.1 AGINGRESIDENTIALPOPULATION
SimilarlytomostcommunitiesacrossOntario,theCityofBurlingtonwillneedtoplanforanagingresidentialpopulation;particularlyasthe“baby‐boomer”generationreachespost‐retirement(i.e.,65+).
ThiswillmeansignificantadjustmentstothehousingstockacrosstheentireCity,frommorecompactlowmaintenanceresidentialformats,toretirementhomesandassistedlivingfacilities.Downtown,withitspedestrianenvironment,accesstoservicesandproximitytothehospitalcanplayanimportantroleinhousingandservingtheCity’sagingpopulation.
Fromacommercialperspective,thisdemographicshiftwillrequirenewtypesofretail/servicefacilitiestoservethisexpandingseniorpopulation.Forexample,theCitycanexpectanincreaseindemandforpharmaciesanddrugstorespace,aswellasotherhealth‐carerelatedservicesinthedowntown.
Withtheagingpopulation,therewillalsobeandecreasedrelianceonsinglepersonprivateautomobiletripsandtheneedtoenhancetransitandpedestriantraveltoandwithinthedowntowncore.
5.2 CHANGINGSOCIALANDECONOMICSTRUCTURALPATTERNS
Thesocialcircumstancesofconsumersarealsoundergoingsignificantchange.Isthemovementofthebaby‐boomgenerationthroughthelifecycleleadingtoamucholderpopulationwithdifferentshoppingpatterns,buttraditionalfamilystructuresarealsochanging,withfewerchildren,alargerproportionoftwo‐parentfamiliesinwhichbothparentswork,moreloneparentsandmorepeoplelivingontheirown.Manyconsumersinthesegroups,particularlytwo‐parentworkingfamilies,andespeciallyloneparents,havesignificanttimemanagement
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issues,whichhasledtodifferentshoppingpatternsthaninthepast.Forexample,therehasbeenatrendtowardsfewershoppingtrips,withlargervolumesconsumedpertrip.This“stocking‐up”behaviourhasledtotheriseoflargeformatfoodstores,warehousemembershipclubs,andtheinclusionofmajorfoodcomponentsinnon‐foodstores,suchasdepartmentstoresanddrugstores.Asdiscussedbelow,internetshoppingatsitesownedbybothtraditionalretailers,aswellas,newretailplayers,suchasAmazon,E‐Bay,Craig’sList,andKijiji,aretakingonaneverexpandingroleintermsofcateringtothetime‐starvedshopper.
Consumersarebecomingmoreculturallydiverseandmoreurban.AlthoughBurlingtonislessculturallydiversethanmuchoftheGTA,theoverallgrowthinthenew‐Canadianmarketwillbesignificantandwilllikelyspreadintonewareasinthefuture.ManypartsoftheGTA,suchasMarkham,Scarborough,Toronto,andBrampton,havealreadyexperiencedethnicallyinfluencedretaildevelopmentsthathavechallengedtraditionalplanningpolicies.
Ithasbeenseveraldecades,sinceCanada'shouseholdsweretypifiedbythe“dad,stay‐at‐homemomandkids”scenario.ThemodernCanadianFamilyissmaller,andamajorityincludenochildren.IncreasingnumbersofCanadiansareactuallylivingalone,andforseniorsinparticular,thishouseholdarrangementcanbeproblematicdependingontheiraccesstotransportation.Itisbecomingincreasinglyimportanttoensurethatresidentialareas,likelytoattractseniors,haveeasyaccesstofoodshopping,servicesandotherrequiredcommercialandinstitutionalresources.AsforthoseCanadianfamiliesthatdohavechildren,familyformationisonaverageoccurringlaterinlife,atatimeofgreaterfinancialstability,andfamilyresourcessupportasmallernumberofchildren.Asignificantnumberofchildren,however,liveinlone‐parenthomes,puttingadditionalpressuresonthetimestrappedconsumer.
Morethanthreequartersoffoodexpendituresgotowardspurchasesfromstores,whereconsumershavebenefitedfromasustained,long‐termdeclineinmostcommodityprices.Changinghouseholdtimeconstraintsoverthelasttwodecadeshavebroughtsignificantchangesinfoodconsumptionpatterns.Forexample,theaveragemealpreparationtimehasfallen,relianceonprocessedandstore‐preparedfoodhasincreased,andpurchasesoffastfoodshavegrown.Whiletherehasbeenamovementtowards,healthyalternativestoprocessedandfastfoods,theissueislesscentredonconsumereducationandmoreonthetime‐strappedlifestylesofthemodernCanadianconsumer.
Thechallengefacedbyplannersishowtoincreasepersonaltimeandcatertonewconsumerneedsbycreatingmoreefficienturbanenvironments.
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5.3 POPULATION&EMPLOYMENTGROWTH
Asdetailedinthesecondsectionofthispaper,inorderforBurlington’sUrbanGrowthCentretomeettheintensificationanddensitytargetssetoutintheProvince’sGrowthPlan,itwouldneedtoaccommodateanadditional9,400newresidentsandjobsbetween2006and2031.Dependingontheratioofjobstoresidents,theGrowthCentrewouldlikelyrepresentthesinglelargestconcentrationofnewpopulationgrowthintheCityoverthenext20years.InadditiontotheGrowthCentre,othercorridorsandnodeswithinthePrimaryTradeAreafortheDowntown(i.e.boundedbyKingRoad,theQEW,WalkersLineandtheLake),alsorepresentprimeintensificationareas.Asaresult,thepopulationwithindowntown’sPrimaryTradeAreawillaccommodatethemajorityofnewgrowthintheCityto2031.
Basedontheinventoryandpopulationinthecore,thecommercialspaceinthedowntownisadequatelyservingthelocalresidentialpopulation,althoughasnotedpreviously,somegapsdoexist.Theredoesnotappeartobeanoversupplyintheareaoflocalservinguses.Andinsomecategories,suchasrestaurantsandservices,thedowntownpopulationbenefitsfromactivitiessupportedbyamuchbroaderpopulation.
Futurepopulationgrowthwillultimatelyrequireanincreaseinlocalservingretailfacilities,suchasfoodstores,pharmacies/drugstores,andpersonalservices.
Toalargeextent,residentsandemployeesrequiredifferentretailandservices.Overalllocalresidentswillrequiremorespacelocally,particularlyinthecategoriesofsupermarkets,specialtyfood,pharmacies,personalservices,medical/dentalservices,financialservicesandsomeotherservices.Employeesandbusinesseshaveastrongneedfornearbyservices,suchas,restaurantsandfastfoodoutlets,financialservices,businesssupportservices,professionaloffice;aswellas,selectedretailoutlets,suchaspharmaciesandofficesupplystores.Theabilityofadowntowntodrawonamultiplenumberofmarkets(e.g.localresidents,businesses,tourists,students,etc.)allowsforabroadermerchandisemixthanwouldotherwisebethecase,tothebenefitofalldowntownstakeholders.
BasedontheanalysisconductedinTheCommercialMarketStudy,thegrowthindowntown’sPrimaryTradeAreato2031couldsupportsome190,000squarefeetofadditionalretailandservicesspaceinthedowntown.
Thesixfuturedevelopmentsitesinthecore(ParkingLotsAandB,2042Lakeshore,TudorSquare,392Pearl,779BrantStreet)currentlycomprisesome273,000squarefeetoflandarea(6.2acres/2.5ha).Inordertoaccommodatefuturecommercialspacerequirementson
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thesesites,itwouldbenecessarytoachieveagroundfloorcommercialcoverageofapproximately70%6.Thiswillbedifficulttoachievegiventheneedforparking,setbacks,landscaping,andnon‐commercialuses.
Forthisreason,itwillbeimportanttopromotethedevelopmentofgroundfloorcommercialspaceonthesesites.Therewilllikelybeaneedtoidentifyotheropportunitiestointegratenewgroundfloorcommercialspaceandtodiscourageconversionsfromfunctionalretailcommercialspaceinexistingbuildings.
Itwillbeparticularlyimportanttoplanforamixofunitsizes,includinglargerunitsforfoodstoresandtoensurethatparkingrequirementsaresufficientlyflexibletoencouragenewretaildevelopmentinthecore.
5.4 E‐RETAILINGANDNON‐STORERETAILING
WiththebirthoftheInternetin1993cameE‐commerceoron‐lineshopping.ForCanadianconsumers,thevalueofinternetshoppingcomprised$15billionin2009,comparedtoalmost$8billionin2005.AlthoughE‐commercecontinuestogrow,itstillrepresentsonlyasmallportionoftotalretailtrade($415millionin2009inCanada).Itisexpectedthatasyounger,Internet‐savvycustomersmatureandInternet‐usagebecomesmorewidespreadovertimeamongconsumersofallages,E‐commercewillbecomeincreasinglyrelevant.Furthermore,on‐linepowerhouses,suchasEBayandAmazon,areaggressivelygrowingtheoverallon‐linemarket.Becausethereformostshoppers,thein‐storeexperienceisstillanessentialpartoftheirshoppingtrip,themajorityofinternetshoppinghastendedtobeconcentratedinarelativelysmallnumberofretailcategories.AccordingtoaStatisticsCanadasurvey,themostcommontypesofonlineshoppingcontinuetobetravelservices;entertainmentproductssuchasconcerttickets;booksandmagazines;andclothing,jewelleryandaccessories.
StatisticsCanadaindicatesthattheInternethasbecomeasupplementtotraditionalretailshoppingmorethanasubstituteformanyCanadians.Mostmajor“brickandmortar”chains,aswellasmanyindependentretailers,alsonowprovideon‐lineshopping.
6Retailcommercialgroundfloorcoverageinasuburbansingleusesettingisapproximately25%.
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BasedonthesurveysconductedbyurbanMetricsinBurlington,some22%oftelephonesurveyrespondentsand43%ofon‐linesurveyrespondentsmadeinternetpurchasesoverthepastmonth.Themostpopularpurchaserswereretailitemsincludingbooks,movies,musicandothermerchandise,whereasticketsandothertravelrelatedservicesaccountedforthegreatestvalueofonlineexpenditures.
Recentbankruptciesandstoreclosures(Bordersbookstores;BlockbusterVideo;HMV;BestBuy)aretestimonytotheimpactofon‐linecompetitioninsomeofthesecategories.
InadditiontoInternetshopping,homeshoppingthroughcataloguescontinuestoexpand.Therearehundredsofcompanies,manyofwhichareUSAbased,whichprovidecataloguesfortelephoneoron‐lineshopping(e.g.LLBean,LandsEnd,Avon,Sears).CanadaPostispromotingBorderfreeTMforbarrier‐freeandhasslefreeshoppingbypartneringwithinternationalcompaniesinanefforttosimplifyshippingprocedures.Mostofthesecompanieshavecatalogues.
Althoughitstillrepresentsarelativelysmallshareofoverallspending,internetshoppingisgrowingandismakinganumberofretailstoresandserviceprovidersredundanttovaryingdegrees.Manyofthesehavebeencommonlyfoundindowntowns,including:
Bookstores;
Recordedmusicstores;
Electronicsstores;
Travelagencies;and
Computerandgamingsoftware.
Atthesametime,however,e‐retailinghasreducedtheimportanceoflocationforspecializedretailing.Thisprovidesanopportunitytoattractspecializedretailerswithe‐retailingcapabilitiestodowntowntotakeadvantageoflowerrentsthanwouldbefoundinshoppingcentresandanambiencethatmaysupporttheirproduct’simage.
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5.5 RETAILDEVELOPMENTTRENDS
Withurbanintensificationandthesaturationofmanypowercentremarkets,manyretailersaredeveloping“urban‐scale”formatstargetedatmoredenselypopulatedareas.Inparticular,manyofthemajorCanadianandAmericanretailchainsthattypicallylocateinlowdensitypowercentresarenowintroducingsmallerstoreformatsthatcouldpotentiallylocateinadowntownenvironment,suchasthatinBurlington(e.g.,BestBuy,FutureShop,Walmart,Target).
Ofparticularrelevancearetheurbanformatsofthemajorsupermarketchains,includingLoblaws,Metro,SobeysandLongos;allofwhichnowoperatestoresinmixeduseprojectswithundergroundparking.
Inaddition,theCanadianmarkethasalsorecentlyseentheintroductionofseveralnewAmericanandotherinternationalretailchains,suchasTarget,Marshall's,Victoria’sSecretandJCrew.Initiallythesechainswilllocateinpowercentresandshoppingcentres.Intheshortterm,thismayaddtotheregionalretailcompetitionfacedbytheDowntown.Inthelongerterm,withincreasedpopulationinthecore,thismayincreaseopportunitiestoattractnewtenants.
FIGURE5‐1:LONGOS‐MAPLELEAFSQUARE,TORONTOWATERFRONT
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5.6 CHALLENGES
Unlikeshoppingcentresandpowercentres,downtownsfaceuniquechallenges,whichmustberecognizedinfutureplanning,including:
Thecostandperceivedinconvenienceofparking;
Trafficcirculation;
Reducedaccessfordeliverytrucks;
Shorterandun‐co‐ordinatedstorehours;
Pedestrianmovementduringinclementweather;
Absenteelandlordsandvaryingresourcestomaintainprivatebuildings;and,
Aboveaveragecoststorepair,maintainandupgradeolderbuildings.
Itmustberememberedthattheseissuescanbeaddressedtovaryingdegreesandforsuccessfuldowntowns,theyareabletothriveinspiteofthesechallenges.
DowntownBurlingtonalsohasachallengeinthatmostofitsretailingissituatedonasinglelinearspineonBrantStreetextendingsometwokilometresfromLakeshoreRoadtoFairviewStreet.Thislackofconcentrationwillimpedecross‐shopping,pedestrianmovementandacriticalmassattraction.
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6 SUMMARYANDCONCLUSIONS
Thefollowingprovidesasummaryofourprofessionalrecommendationsandconclusions,basedonthevariousresearchandinformationpresentedinthispaper.
6.1 CURRENTSTATEOFTHEDOWNTOWN
DowntownBurlingtoncomparesveryfavourablytoothersuccessfullyfunctioningdowntownsintheGTA,suchasOakville,Waterloo,andWhitby.AllofthefollowingcharacteristicspointtothevibrancyofDowntownBurlingtonasitcurrentlyexiststoday:
thescaleofthecommercialcore;
lowvacancyratesinprimeareas;
recentresidentialdevelopmentactivityandinterest;
publicsectorinvestmentinthedowntownandwaterfront;and,
thecontinuedfocusoncivicevents.
Equallyasimportant,istheconfidencethatBurlingtonresidentshaveinthecore,whichhasbeenexhibitedthroughtheDowntownworkshop,andotherdirectconsumersurveyinformationgatheredaspartofthisstudy.Thiswillbeparticularlyimportantgoingforward,asDowntownBurlingtonexpandsitsroleasanUrbanGrowthCentreandMobilityHub.
6.2 FUNCTIONSOFTHEDOWNTOWN
DowntownBurlingtonisamulti‐functionalcore,whichhasstrengthinanumberofareas:
NeighbourhoodRetailCentre;
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SpecialtyRetailDestination;
PlacetoLive;
PlacetoWork;
CulturalandRecreationCentre;
GovernmentCentre;and,
ServiceCentre.
WhiletheDowntown,appropriatelyservestheCitythroughthesefunctionstoday,inthefuturesomeoftheseroleswillhavetoexpandtomeettherequirementsoftheGrowthPlan.Itwillhavetoadoptnewresidents,largelythroughintensification.Thiswillultimatelyincreasetheneedforadditionalneighbourhoodservingcommercialopportunities,suchasfoodstores,services,restaurants,andconvenienceretailoutlets.Similarly,theincreaseinemploymentcalledforbytheGrowthPlan,willalsorequireadditionalcommercialspacetosupporttheenlargedworkforceandbusinessbase.
Basedontheextensiveconsumerresearchconductedaspartofthisstudy,bothdowntownstakeholders(i.e.downtownresidents,workersandbusinessowners)andthebroaderCitypopulationsupportthesefunctionsfordowntownandwouldliketoseepoliciesthatallowthemtothrive.
Functions,whicharelessreadilyacknowledgedbydowntownstakeholdersandthebroaderBurlingtonpopulation,include:
Regionalservingretail,includinglargeformatretailers,departmentstores,andthetypesofusesthatwouldbemorelikelytolocateinpowercentresandthelargeshoppingcentres;
Centreformajorofficebuildings;and,
EducationCentre.
Intermsofregionalretail,whiletherewassupporttoexpandthisfunction,itwaslessprevalentthantheotherexistingfunctions.ThestakeholderswerestrongerintheirdesiretoattractmoreofficedevelopmentandeducationalusestodowntownBurlington.
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WewouldnotethatthechallengefacedbytheCitywillbehowtomakedowntownBurlingtonattractivetomajorofficeandeducationalusesandhowtoaccommodatethemwithintheexistingurbanfabric.
6.3 FUTURECHALLENGESANDTRENDS
Thefuturedirectionofdowntownwillbeheavilyinfluencedbyanumberofprevailingtrends:
ItsmandatedgrowthasaprovincialUrbanGrowthCentre;and,
TheagingOntariopopulation
Changingsocialandeconomicstructuralpatterns.
Asamandatedgrowthcentre,theCitywillberequiredtoplanforanexpansionofnearly70%morepersonsandjobsinthedowntownthancurrentlyexiststoday.Additionalpopulationwillrequiresupportingservices,suchasnewretailstores,personalservices,schools,andsimilaractivities.Whiletherearesomekeydevelopmentandintensificationsitesinthecore,itisunlikelythattherequiredpopulationandemploymentcanbeaccommodatedwithinsinglefunctionbuildings.Futurepoliciesmustencouragemixedusedevelopmentandensurethatitoccursinamannerthatcanaccommodatetherequiredsupportingcommercialandinstitutionalservices.
TheagingpopulationwillalsoplacechallengesonthepublicandprivatesectorinfrastructureandthedowntownisuniquelysuitedtobecomeafocalpointfortheCity’sseniors;owingtoitsconcentrationofresidentialapartments,accesstoretailandservices,thepedestrianfriendlyenvironment,proximitytothehospitalandavailabilityoftransit.
Changingfamilystructuralpatterns,andtheresultingtimecrunch,havechangedthewayCanadiansshop–givingrisetolargeformatfoodretailingandanincreaseintheconsumptionoffastfoodsandprocessedfoods.Seniorslivingalone,maybeparticularlychallengedbyrecentretaildevelopmentpatterns,whichfavourlargecentralizedretaildestinationsoverneighbourhoodshoppingnodes.Thechallengeforplannerswillbetocreateamoreefficienturbanstructure.
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Intermsoftheretailsector,whilegrowthinlargeformatretailingisslowingandsomemajorchainsaredevelopingmoreurbanfriendlymodules,theentryofUSandforeignretailersandtheinvestmentsbeingmadeintorevitalizingoldersuburbancentres,willlikelymakeitdifficultfordowntowntocompeteasaregionalshoppingdestinationwithintheCity.
Asindicatedbythesurveys,onlyasmallportionofvisitorscametothedowntowntospecificallyshop,butshoppedbecausetheywerethereforsomeotherpurpose(e.g.downtownresident,downtownemployee,visitingthewaterfront,attendingaperformance,etc.).Inouropinion,ensuringthatthissupportingfunctioncancontinuetothriveshouldbetheprimarygoalofaretailstrategyforthecore.Morespecialtyandregionalservingretailcomponentswillnaturallyevolveasthedowntowngrows.
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7 PRELIMINARYPOLICYRECOMMENDATIONS
Basedontheinformationpresentedintheprevioussectionsofthispaper,aswellasthevariousotherresearchundertakenbyourprojectteamtodate,thefollowingprovidesanumberofpreliminarypolicyrecommendations,whichrelatespecificallytothedowntown.AdditionaldetailwithregardstotheserecommendationsiscontainedinthePhase1:CommercialPolicyandDesignReviewBackgroundReport.
Inparticular,therecommendationspresentedonthefollowingpagesrelatetothefollowing:
TheDowntownBoundaryanditsStructure;
EstablishingMinimumDensityTargets;
EstablishingSpecificMixed‐UseDensityTargets;
EstablishingaNewRetailStructure;and,
ProvidingIncentivesforIntensificationandNon‐ResidentialDevelopment.
7.1 DOWNTOWNBOUNDARIES&STRUCTURE
Currently,theCity’scoreisdelineatedbytwoboundaries:theProvincialUrbanGrowthCentre(UGC)boundary,andtheCity’sDowntownMixedUseCentreboundary(Figure7‐1).TheProvinciallydesignatedUGCboundaryisanirregularboundarythatextendsacrosspartsoftheDowntownproper,mainlyalongtheMapleAvenue,LakeshoreRoad,andBrantStreetcorridors,terminatinginthenorthwestatProspectStreet.TheCity’sDowntownMixedUseCentreboundarycoversabroaderareaassociatedwiththeDowntown,boundedbyBaldwinStreetinthenorthwest,extendingouttoClarkeAvenue/MapleStreet/theQEWinthewestandsouthwest,androughlyTorrenceStreetintheeast.
InsupportoftheongoingworkregardingtheCoreCommitmentfortheDowntown,theCityhasidentifiedtheneedtorationalizetheDowntownboundaries.Aspartofthisexercise,itisimportanttoconsider,whatisthepurposeofestablishingaboundary?Fromacommunity
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planningperspective,aboundaryisusedtoidentifyanareathatfunctionsasasystemand/orhascommonbuiltformcharacteristicsandtransportationinfrastructure,andtothendevelopaframeworkformanagingchange(i.e.growth)overtimeinawaythatpreservestheuniquecharacteristicsofthearea,whileenhancingthephysicalandsocialfabricoftheestablishedcommunity.Fromacommercialplanningperspective,boundariesareusedtoidentifyhubsofcontiguousretailandothercommercialactivitythatfunctionasasystemand/orhavecommoncharacteristicsintheirbuiltformand/ortheytypesofproductsandservicesthatareoffered.Thecommercialplanningboundarymayalsoreflectthedestinations(homeaddresses)ofcustomers.
Usingthesecriteria,strategicconsiderationshouldbegivento generallymaintainingtheCity’sexistingboundaryfortheDowntown,withsomeminormodifications(e.g.removingthesouthernmostportionofthecurrentdesignationalongtheBurlingtonSkywaywherethelandusesandblockconfigurationsareinconsistentwiththeremainderofthecore).TooperationalizetheUGCdesignation,strategicconsiderationshouldalsobegiventoidentifyinganurbancorridornorthwestoftheDowntownalongBrantStreet,andtorevisitingtheprecinctdesignationswithintheDowntowntoensuredensitydistributionsareinformedbytheUGCboundary(i.e.theareawherethehighestdensitiesshouldbedirected).
FIGURE7‐1:EXISTINGBOUNDARIESFORDOWNTOWNBURLINGTON FIGURE7‐2:PROPOSEDDOWNTOWN BOUNDARY
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CoreCommitmenthasdefinedeightprecinctswithinthedowntowncore.Thisworkshouldberefinedinpolicybyrecognizing:
CoreandMainStreetRetailAreas,whichwouldgenerallybeconcentratedaroundthehistoricmainstreetshoppingdistrict(i.e.,BrantStreetandotheradjacentstreets);reflectingthecommercialhierarchyindowntown;
OpportunityAreas,whereopportunitiesforfuturedevelopmenthavebeenidentifiedorareanticipated;
Stable/EstablishedResidentialAreas,includingthoselocatedtotheimmediateeastandwestofthecommercialcoreofthedowntown;
TransitionAreas,includingthestretchofBrantStreetdirectlynorthofthecorecommercialareaofdowntown,aswellaseastandwestofBrantStreetonLakeshoreRoad;and,
Tourist&CulturalAreas,whichwouldbefocusedalongthewaterfrontandnearotherexistingorpotentialnewculturalamenitiesinthedowntownwithrestrictionsonprivatedevelopment.
7.2 MINIMUMDENSITYTARGETS
Currently,theOfficialPlanincorporatestheProvinciallymandatedminimumdensitytargetof200peopleandjobsperhectarefortheDowntownasawhole.StrategicconsiderationshouldbegiventodevelopingminimumdensitytargetsfordifferentareasoftheDowntowntofacilitatedensitydistributionsthatreflecttheexistingandplannedbuiltformandblockconfigurations,inlinewiththeUGCandmobilityhubdesignations.TheseminimumdensitytargetscouldbeintegratedwithexistingheightanddensitypoliciesforthevariousDowntownprecinctsandwouldhelptocomprehensivelyplanforandmonitortheintensificationofBurlington’sDowntown.
7.3 SPECIFICMIXEDUSETARGETS
Tooptimizetheuseoftransitandstrengthenthearea’seconomicbase,oneoftheobjectivesfortheDowntownistoattractmoreofficeandinstitutionallanduses.Beyondeconomicdevelopmentactivities,thereareanumberofpolicystrategiestheCitycouldconsidertoencouragethistypeofdevelopment,includingestablishingmixedusetargets(i.e.%requirements)forthedifferentprecincts,andestablishingajobs‐to‐residentstargetratio.
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7.4 ANEWRETAILSTRUCTURE
WithregardtocommercialusesintheDowntown,strategicconsiderationshouldbegiventopermittingretailandservice‐‐‐relatedusesmorebroadlythroughoutallareasoftheDowntown.Currently,commercialusesarenotpermittedthroughoutmuchofthearea,andthisisinconsistentwiththecharacteristicsofacompleteurbancommunity.TobetterintegratecommercialusesthroughoutDowntownneighbourhoods,retailpermissions/requirementscouldbede‐‐‐linkedfromtheprecinctdesignationsandre‐‐‐introducedthroughnew“retailprioritystreets”designations.ProposedretailstreetcategoriesareoutlinedinTable7‐1.
FIGURE7‐1:PROPOSEDRETAILSTREETCATEGORIES
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7.5 PROVIDEINCENTIVESFORINTENSIFICATIONANDNON‐RESIDENTIALDEVELOPMENT
InadditiontoestablishingmixedusetargetsfordifferentprecinctsintheDowntown,theCityshouldconsideridentifyingaPrimaryOffice/InstitutionalCoreArea,andprovidingincentivesfornewofficedevelopment,suchasreducedautomobileparkingstandardsandreducedparklanddedicationrequirements.TheCitycouldalsoconsideralinkagerequirement,wherebyapprovalforresidentialdevelopmentistiedtotheinclusionofnon‐‐‐residentialdevelopmentwithinthedevelopmentsite.