Vernon considering 2nd summer street closure after 2021 pilot faced challenges

Vernon, B.C., city council is going to discuss this week whether to pursue a second summer street closure trial.

There will likely be a lot to discuss, after the city’s initial attempt at creating a downtown pedestrian plaza last summer faced significant challenges.

Like many cities, Vernon tried to use outdoor space to encourage vitality during the pandemic in 2021.

It closed one block of its main street to traffic from July 1 to early September in the hopes of creating “a temporary vibrant, usable and welcoming public space for area businesses to utilize and community members to use.”

Proponents of the plan envisioned people dining outdoors and enjoying entertainment.

However, just prior to the pilot project beginning, B.C. was hit by a deadly heat dome and the extreme temperatures led many to stay indoors and some businesses to temporarily shut down or shorten their hours.

That was followed by a harrowing wildfire season in the Vernon area that caused smoky skies and prompted the provincial government to tell tourists to stay away.

Additionally, the city said, short notice for businesses of the planned closure, restaurant staffing shortages, and changing COVID-19 public health advice also created challenges for the initial pilot project.

The end result was that the closure of the 2900 block of 30th Avenue last year likely didn’t live up to what advocates had envisioned.

“Generally, many businesses were positive about the closure, but felt that with the short notice for the closure combined with the heat and smoky skies, they had limited opportunities to utilize the closure for their businesses,” a city report said.

“One business indicated that the closure was detrimental to their businesses as their regular customers were unable to park in front of their business and chose to use another business in town instead.”

Now, the city is considering whether they should try the program again.

The city says a survey of downtown businesses in February found “general support” for the idea of another attempt at a trial closure this summer.

On Monday, council is expected to vote on whether to move forward with closing the 2900 block of 30 Ave. from July 1 to September 5.

If there is support for the idea, city staff will develop a plan and budget.

Last year, the city budgeted up to $50,000 for the project and the Downtown Vernon Association and Tourism Vernon also provided thousands of dollars worth of funding and in-kind support.

2:09 Kelowna’s Bernard Avenue businesses prepare for street closure