CENTRE WELLINGTON – There were mixed feelings about Downtown Elora summer road closures at Tuesday's committee of the whole meeting, but in the end a compromise was reached.
After hearing from delegates and councillors, the committee of the whole directed staff to work with the Elora BIA to choose a few weekend days that would see pedestrian-only areas.
The past two summers have seen Metcalfe and West Mill streets closed to traffic each weekend for around four months. But a staff report recommended no longer proceeding with these regular closures and reserving them purely for special events.
A report from CAO Dan Wilson noted a loss of a parking lot with 61 spaces as of July 1 meant parking needed to be found elsewhere.
Before the committee made a decision, councillors heard from delegates made up mostly of local businesses and property owners in the road closure area.
Wayne Bridgman, owner of Symmetry Home & Life at 81 Metcalfe St. said he was annoyed he was unable to access his driveway on road closure days and was not given an assigned spot. While he said he tolerated the closures the first summer, he found it unfair to his and other businesses over the long term.
“We actually lost sales on our large items as customers were not able to carry them to their cars,” Bridgman said. “When tourists are walking down the middle of the road, they are no longer window shopping.”
John Kears, whose wife owns Karger Gallery on East Mill Street, said that stretch has become an “ugly duckling” compared to the more visually appealing Metcalfe and West Mill and due to the fact it remained open during the street closures.
Kears said businesses on East Mill Street can’t afford another summer of closures driving business away from that area with an upcoming major reconstruction anticipated to take most of 2023.
On the other hand, Geoffrey Wild, owner of the Wild Tart and other local restaurants, and Cathy Brosseau, owner of the Handsome Devil Bistro, claimed the street closures saved their businesses from financial ruin.
“Twelve thousand restaurants in Canada will not open their doors again following the pandemic. Twelve thousand: that’s 25 per cent of all restaurants in Canada,” Wild said. “Not a single one in Elora, not one.”
He further went on to say Elora has large parking facilities available that are a five to 10 minute walk from downtown, which he said tourists from big cities would be used to walking normally.
Wild also brought up an Elora BIA survey which found 79 per cent of members supported road closures in some way.
Councillors were similarly divided.
Fergus councillor Bob Foster was sympathetic to restaurateurs but felt the road closures had served their purpose in an emergency situation. Neil Dunsmore agreed and felt they had infringed on the property rights of Bridgman by restricting his driveway access.
Coun. Kirk McElwain said he felt the Elora BIA’s survey was too significant to ignore and thought going forward with road closures again would be an interesting experiment.
“Having it closed for another summer when its not-COVID will be a test whether that is a good thing in normal times or not,” McElwain said.
Similarly, Coun. Ian MacRae said he looked at it beyond just supporting businesses but creating a healthier community by having more walkable areas in Elora and decried parking as a “never ending curse in this community” and suggested staff keep an open mind on how to best address the parking issue.
Mayor Kelly Linton said he didn’t think the township should move away from road closures. He said this wasn’t only a benefit to visitors but to locals as well who he had heard were enjoying Downtown Elora in ways they never did before.
He suggested staff schedule three or four road closures so there is prior notice for businesses and residents.
Council found this to be a good compromise with McElwain suggesting staff work with the Elora BIA to determine what dates were best. This suggestion, along with a direction for staff to work towards a solution for those who lose driveway access were unanimously approved.
This decision will need to be ratified by council at a meeting on Monday.
