The main purposes of the Transcona Business Improvement Zone (BIZ) are to revitalize and maintain a dynamic local neighbourhood as well as promote the area of business as a shopping destination.
Revitalization and maintenance create a cleaner, safer neighbourhood that benefits all local businesses. Professional service providers such as doctors, lawyers, or accountants benefit from an improved local atmosphere for their clientele. The same is true for entertainment and dining establishments which benefit from the local traffic and improved atmosphere.
However, it doesn’t stop at just beautification and revitalization. The BIZ develops a network of relationships and partnerships among local community groups, such as churches, schools, citizen groups, etc.
Revitalization and maintenance also includes defining an identity for the local community. This identity is used as a means to further promote the local community as an interesting and unique business area.
Transcona BIZ is involved in numerous activities, which include:
- Safety – helping work toward a safer shopping environment by utilizing tools that all businesses can use to make the shopping area safer, including our Rooftop Lighting Program.
- Marketing – Understanding the needs of our member businesses and helping to promote them within the community while expanding their customer base, including on social media through Facebook, Instagram and X (formally Twitter).
- Business Recruitment – Working with property owners to help with Storefront Improvements and Other Amenities – Providing customer-friendly lighting, signage, street furniture, flowers and plants, banners, murals and public art.
- Seasonal Decorations – Creating a unique and pleasant environment for customers and staff of all businesses, retail and non-retail, through the use of decorations that are appropriate for the season and the holiday.
- Special Events – Organizing and partnering in special events that highlight unique attributes of the area and increase customer visits such as Community Markets, Movie Nights, Community Clean-up, Summer Concert Series, Winter Wonderland, and Fitness in the Square.
- Anti-Graffiti – Through the quick and efficient removal of graffiti, the businesses maintain their clean and well-kept look. When graffiti is removed quickly, graffiti becomes less of a problem.
Property owners and non-retailers also benefit from the BIZ as the improvements help create and sustain a more vibrant and viable economic environment within the local area. This attracts both commercial and service sector businesses to the area that, in turn, leads to an increased demand for retail and office space, and potential for a subsequent increase in property values.
Expanding a Business Improvement Zone
Expanding a Business Improvement Zone requires the majority of businesses in an area to agree to the expansion. This means that more than half of the businesses in that area must want to join the Business Improvement Zone AND more than half of the total Annual Rental Value of the area paid to the city of Winnipeg must be represented in the expansion.
For example, consider a strip mall with 15 smaller businesses, averaging $5,000 per business in Annual Rental Value (for a total of $75,000) and one larger box/grocery store with an Annual Rental Value of $105,000 in the same strip mall. At least 9 or more of the 16 businesses AND more than $90,001 of the combined $180,000 Annual Rental Value of the strip mall would need to be in favour of expanding, in order for the Zone to expand. Without more than half of the interested parties this can not happen. There is no way for a single business to join the zone as an individual company without expanding the boundaries of the zone.
If you have any questions about Business Improvement Zone expansions, please feel free to contact us.