A group trying to form a business improvement association (BIA) in Steveston has had its bid for $30,000 from the City of Richmond knocked back.
The newly-named Steveston Business Development Alliance (SBDA) asked the city to chip in the cash towards a $42,000 community outreach study, in order to determine support for a BIA in the village.
The SBDA, formed primarily by members of the current Steveston Merchants Association, needs to conduct the outreach before the city can consider allowing businesses – that could be affected by a BIA levy collected by the city – to formally vote on the formation of a BIA.
However, earlier this week, city council approved a staff recommendation to decline the funding request, citing concerns over the city being able to maintain neutrality and setting a precedent for other Richmond business districts to make similar requests for hand-outs.
Where that decision now leaves the SBDA and its outreach study is unclear. Questions asked of the alliance by the Richmond News were not answered by the time of going to press.
The move to form a BIA in Steveston has been in the works for many years, but has been fraught with difficulty as some merchants in the village vehemently oppose its creation.
One of them, Dominque Jarry, said the group trying to set up the BIA is still trying to impose its will against the majority of the village merchants, most of whom are small business owners who, according to Jarry, can’t handle another expense in the shape of a BIA levy.
Jarry, who owns Sugar Art, told the News back in November of his objections and says nothing has changed since then.
“The only thing that has changed is that they’ve formed this new group,” said Jarry.
“However, it’s full of non-business owners and other people who would be unaffected by a BIA levy.
“We were supposed to have a meeting with (the group’s hired) consultant last fall, but she cancelled and the meeting was never re-arranged.”
Jarry said he and Jerry Biggar, who owns Steveston Landing — which houses 12 businesses, including Shady Island and Sockeye City restaurants and Pierhouse Deli — have been, for the last few weeks and months, meeting all of city council and the mayor individually, in an attempt to get their points across.
“(The funding request) doesn’t make sense; they must know by now they don’t have the support of the community, so to ask the city for funding is a total waste,” added Jarry.
“I’m very surprised by this as they still have no justification; they’re not relevant to the village.”
In an emailed statement to the News, the alliance said it plans to “talk to businesses about the types of things a BIA could accomplish in Steveston.
“When we have completed that research with the local Steveston business community we will have information to share with the media.
“We believe Steveston business stakeholders are open minded to working together to develop ideas and programs to encourage business growth, not only in the busy summer season, but all year long. The SBDA strongly believes, in light of changing economic trends, a proactive approach to building new business is preferable to not having a plan.”
Richmond is one of the few cities in the Lower Mainland that doesn’t have a BIA within its boundaries.
A city staff report that went before city council this week indicated that the main advantage of granting the SBDA’s funding request would be that the long-running matter, of whether the village should or should not have a BIA, would be more likely to be resolved.
However, granting the funds, according to the report, could be interpreted as the city itself supporting a BIA, prior to proper community consultation taking place or that the initiative is led by the city, rather than the business community.
