Kamloops sounds off on 4th Ave Pedestrian Plaza pilot project

“Some of the key themes we heard were [the public] liked that they could sit and relax away from cars. They could socialize, people watch. A place to kind of be entertained, we added some entertainment to space,” Jason Locke, Community Planning and Sustainability Manager said.

Locke has his work cut out for him, sifting through a few hundred surveys filled out by members of the public offering feedback on the pedestrian plaza.

“Overall the response has been positive,” Locke said. “We’ve had over 360 responses, and of those… 88% came to visit the plaza and 75% would like to see it permanent.”

The positive plaza experience was felt by some of the businesses in along 4th Avenue, as well. Greg Kelner is the owner of the new Freshslice Pizza in on the corner of 4th and Victoria Street and says the vibe was good in and around the pedestrian area.

“The more people the better,” Kelner told CFJC Today. “It was nice to people mingling about. I came down one day fairly early in the morning… there was a group of ladies, about 8 of them, sitting outside around a table with their own coffee mugs, and I thought ‘Perfect, this is what it’s all about’.”

According to Downtown Kamloops Executive Director Carl DeSantis, the feedback from the business community in the area around the plaza has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Over 80% of the feedback [from businesses] has been supportive of this project,” DeSantis told CFJC Today. “We’re incredibly encouraged by that, and the impact it’s had on our business downtown.”

While Greg can’t really quantify if he sold more pizza while the plaza was in place, he says he’d love to see it become a permanent fixture in the downtown.

“Hopefully it becomes a permanent thing,” Greg said. “It’d be great for our business.”

by Adam Donnelly

Kamloops sounds off on 4th Ave Pedestrian Plaza pilot project

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