New Aurora BIA plans to bring more events for public to downtown core

Yorkregion.com
November 28, 2018
Teresa Latchford

Bringing all the businesses together in Aurora’s downtown core will make the world of difference to the general public.

Mary Georgopoulos, the general manager of Aw Shucks Bar and Bistro located along the town’s main strip, has been working alongside a few others who have been pushing for the creation of a Business Improvement Area committee (BIA) to help breathe life back into what is supposed to be a destination.

“It is very sad when people who have just moved to the area visit the downtown and are disappointed,” she said. “Our main street is supposed to be the jewel of the town.”

While Georgopoulos has fallen in love with Newmarket’s Main Street where flocking foot traffic is helping business thrive, she envisions the same for Aurora and the timing was right to advocate for the creation of a committee that could help bring that dream to a reality.

“I have been working on this for about a year, alongside others like Joanne Russo,” she said. “We lucked out on the timing with all of the other improvements planned for the downtown area.”

For example, the re-development of library square is set to create a cultural hub and meeting place to the space between the Aurora Public Library and Aurora Cultural Centre.

The new condominiums that have been or are planned to be developed will also boost the population in the immediate area and those people will be looking for things to do, places to eat and more, Georgopoulos said.

“A BIA will mean more events on main street for people to enjoy,” she added. “We already have a plan for four major events, one for each season, and each event will link in with other happenings downtown.”

A BIA will provide an active voice to the businesses in the core, which will support the beautification and revitalization of the downtown, according to Aurora Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sandra Ferri.

“The downtown core of Aurora has been neglected for quite some time and has suffered economically because of the lack of attractions, warmth and a sense of community,” she said. “It was difficult to get the community engaged again, as they had lost faith in our ability to build a strong and vibrant downtown core.”
The chamber intends to continue to be active through the establishment of the BIA and beyond.

The BIA would cover the area from Wellington Street East at the GO station to Yonge Street and from Yonge Street to Mosley Street.

Aurora council has approved the establishment of the BIA but there is still plenty of hoops that have to be jumped through before the committee is organized and on its way to getting things accomplished.

The BIA Board of Management will be made up of nine directors. One of the directors is to be appointed by town council and the remaining will be determined by a vote of the BIA members. Council decided to appoint the town clerk as its representative and take an active role in the creation of the board.

Any projects or initiatives the BIA decides to take on will not be funded by the town but rather by the members of the BIA. However, council has laid out that the BIA board is to create an annual budget outlining priorities and needs and submit it to council for approval.

While previous BIAs have been established and have managed to complete a number of projects that still remain in the downtown core including flower beds, light fixtures and the paved parking lot behind Aw, Shucks, this time around BIA organizers hope to engage more businesses, members of the public and members of council to ensure this BIA doesn’t fade away.