Pubdate: Fri, 23 Sep 2016
Source: Mission City Record (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 The Mission City Record
Contact:  http://www.missioncityrecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1305
Author: Kevin Mills

SOME SHOPS NOT WANTED DOWNTOWN

Zoning change proposed to ban new tattoo, tobacco and cheque cashing
business from opening

Following an announcement two weeks ago that the District of Mission
will be spending $3.5 million to enhance the downtown area, Mayor
Randy Hawes has now asked for zoning changes that will forbid several
types of businesses from being allowed to set up shop in the area.

During Monday's council meeting, Hawes suggested excluding
tobacconists, vape shops, cheque cashing companies, the sale of
marijuana paraphernalia (bongs, pipes, rolling papers and other
smoking needs) and tattoo shops. It was also suggested that massage
parlours and flea markets be excluded as well.

The current zoning already forbids new pawn shops or warehousing in
the downtown core.

Staff has been tasked with preparing a report for the Oct. 3 council
meeting in order to properly word the proposed zoning changes.

If council decides to move forward with the changes, a public hearing
would have to take place.

Hawes said any of these types of businesses already located downtown
would become legally non-conforming and would not be forced to leave.
The zoning would only stop new businesses from opening in the area.

"We have, right now, a number of pawn shops, a number of cheque
cashing places, a number of tattoo parlours and - whether the owners
of those like to hear it or not - generally speaking when a downtown
area is in decline, that's what comes," said Hawes, adding the
district is investing a lot of money in the downtown area and wants to
attract new types of businesses.

"Pawn shops are not attracting the people that should be attracted to
downtown. They aren't going downtown to pawn their articles of to
borrow money from a cheque cashing place," added Hawes.

This new downtown initiative is another in what Hawes said would
likely be a series of steps to improve Mission's main street.

The district is currently working with the owners of the old Bellevue
Hotel to see if a complete refit and rebuild of the building can be
accomplished. Hawes said council is also exploring options that will
allow then to deal with some landlords who are "more interested in
making sure they collect the rent than beautifying or doing anything
with the building."

It is still unclear how the district can convince landlords to prevent
their building from falling into disrepair.

"The public can expect much more for downtown," said
Hawes.

Carlo Billinger, vice-president and past-president of the Mission
Downtown Business Association, said while the association has not met
to discuss council's idea, he thinks the concept is right.

"Many other communities have done it. We've tried to do this in the
past. We have enough of those businesses in the area now and they will
be grandfathered," said Billinger.

He doesn't think excluding some types of businesses will be
problematic noting that cheque cashing on the whole is on the
downslope because on government regulations. He also said vape stores
are already in decline.

"Tattoos, in this day and age, aren't a bad word. Lots of people have
them. Fortunately the ones that we have are quality tattoo places," he
said.

The downtown has had some issues in the past with massage places, but
the association worked with the Mission RCMP and the district to clean
up problem sites.

"Anything we have down here is 100 per cent legitimate now, but we
have enough," said Billinger.

However, if the new changes are approved, then a building may have to
remain vacant until an acceptable tenant can be fund. A potential
renters could be turned away.

"Overall, it would be better to have more empty stores than have too
many of one kind of business," said Billinger adding that they are
already turning people away because some landlords don't want to rent
out the property.

"They are just hanging on to the real estate."
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MAP posted-by: Matt