Opinions mixed on Whitehorse's town square pilot project

Whitehorse's Main Street town square will close on Tuesday, and its future remains unknown.

The intention of the car-free block when pitched earlier this year by city councillor Ted Laking was simple: bring more foot traffic to local businesses and revitalize the downtown area.

Whether or not that was achieved depends on who you ask.

The town square was launched as a pilot project in late June. A block of Main Street between Front Street and Second Avenue was closed to vehicle traffic for 11 weeks. Some restaurants on the block extended their patios, and there were also food trucks, market vendors, and public art.

Adrian Burrill owns Bullet Hole Bagels which is located in the Horwoods Mall, a collection of stores housed on the same block as the town square.

"Our business has been pretty steady, we are getting a lot more foot traffic and good traffic from tourists," said Burrill.

Adrian Burrill, who owns Bullet Hole Bagels in the Horwoods Mall, says business has been good since the town square was launched. (George Maratos/CBC)

"I know there's been some ups and downs from different business communities here, but overall we've been seeing some positives."

In the same mall, Vanessa Ægirsdottir operates a retail store that sells fur jewlery and textiles.

She says she has always wanted a space downtown that was pedestrian only but this town square was not it and has been a nightmare for her business.

"My experience was far from positive," said Ægirsdottir. "I was never directly contacted in any of the consultation phases and to not be contacted at all is actually shocking."

Ægirsdottir says she had high expectations for the summer season after a promising winter of sales but that all changed when the town square opened.

"What I noticed was our sales tanked," said Ægirsdottir. "I noticed the population of shoppers in the mall was non-existent."

Dave Richardson agrees. He manages The Franchise footwear and apparel store in Horwoods Mall.

"We've definitely seen a decrease in some sales," said Richardson. "Parking has also been extremely difficult."

Dave Richardson at The Franchise says sales have dropped and parking has been challenging since the town square opened. (George Maratos/CBC)

One block up the road from the town square is where you'll find the restaurant, G&P on Main. Lee Willett purchased the business in March and was looking forward to a busy first summer as owner.

She says it never came to be and feels the town square gave an unfair advantage to some while hurting others.

"We were expecting more with this new business for sure but it didn't turn out like that," said Willett. "Tourists don't know where to go, they look down Main Street and they see that town square, of course it's going to pull them down there."

Stephanie Chevalier is the city's economic development coordinator.

She agrees the town square has been a work in progress and some things could have been done differently.

Stephanie Chevalier is the economic development coordinator for the City of Whitehorse. She says the town square has been a work in progress. (Submitted by the City of Whitehorse)

When consultation first began Chevalier inadvertently missed connecting with four businesses, including Ægirsdottir's.

"It is a project that has been impacting a lot of businesses, some positively, some negatively," said Chevalier.

Chevalier says understanding exactly how the town square was received will take time.

"At this stage it is difficult to have an overall picture," said Chevalier. "That won't happen until I take the time to properly survey everybody."

That work is set to begin once the town square pilot project closes and Main Street is reopened to vehicle traffic.