Prince George’s Economic Development Committee met Wednesday afternoon, brainstorming ideas on how to grow the city’s stagnant population.
The Committee is made up of 17 community stakeholders, created to consult with the City of Prince George’s new economic development department, which was created following the closure of the externally run Initiatives Prince George in 2015.
PG’s struggling downtown core was pinpointed as a spot for improvement, and hurdle to attracting business and residents the city.
Downtown PG President, and Co-owner of Nancy O’s Eoin Foley believes the lack of people actually living downtown is the crux of the problem.
“Introducing a large amount of market housing units will really change the landscape downtown, it will bring a lot more people walking around supplying more customers for restaurant and retail and really densify the population.”
President of the College of New Caledonia, Henry Reiser is on the same page.
“If you look at any major city that is very successful; Vancouver, Toronto, name them. When people live downtown, the downtown is vibrant and alive.”
The City of Prince George offers tax rebates to developers who build residential housing downtown, however they have seen minimal uptake. Foley believes they need one large development to get the ball rolling, and make developers see that the units will sell.
“When you can work, live and be entertained and play all within walking distance of each other, that creates a different lifestyle that isn’t currently offered in Prince George.”
Downtown student housing is an idea that has been tossed around City Council’s and PG’s two post secondary institutions for years. Reiser says he would like to see more space for students to live downtown, particularly for CNC’s rapidly growing international base.
“A lot of people are sharing apartments and doing homestays, but as we grow, and our (international) applicants are up this year by 21%, accommodations are a challenge.”
“If we can tell them; this is available, this is how much it costs, this is where you will be, and there is a bus system that will take you from there to the school, it’s a win-win.” Reiser added
Foley says a car-less lifestyle isn’t possible in many Prince George neighbourhoods, and it’s something that many young people students included would find attractive. He adds that more foot traffic downtown would make people feel safer, particularly after traditional business hours.
Seniors Retention
The Committee also talked about ways to retain its senior population, with Mayor Lyn Hall calling the new Riverbend seniors home a “spring board” to better seniors housing in the city. Susan Stearns with Community Futures Fraser Fort George recommended using Prince George’s strong healthcare to try to attract new seniors from within the region to the city. Erica Hummel, CEO Tourism Prince George suggested cutting or waiving fees to many city facilities to sweeten the deal for the elderly.
The Committee is set to meet three more times between now and November, when the City will present it’s final economic development plan.
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