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Village businesses brace for summer of construction

Work in Village Square begins April 26

Whistler businesses are bracing for a perfect storm of construction projects this summer, including three major hotel renovations in Whistler Village, a municipal project to renovate Village Square, and, of course, the ongoing work to upgrade Highway 99.

"It’s going to be painful, no question," said Kevin McFarland, the parks planner for the RMOW who will be overseeing the construction project in Village Square.

"Just as the construction on the highway is painful, and that’s going to be going on for years."

The new construction projects come on the heels of a slower than average winter, and many businesses are hoping for a strong summer. McFarland says the municipality is taking every step possible to minimize the impacts on businesses between April 26 and the completion date, which is prior to the July 1 Canada Day / July 4 Independence Day long weekend.

The RMOW held an open house on Tuesday, April 20 to show concerned business owners the municipality’s plans for the square, and to find out what steps can be taken to make visitors aware of their businesses. The hoarding will start to go up on Monday, hiding most shop fronts from the public.

"We’ve gotten the message loud and clear from everyone that Canada Day is pretty darn important, and we heard that from council too," said McFarland. "By then we plan to have the biggest impact work done, and to be able to pull back the fencing. There may be a few stonemasons in there and planters, but the square will look like it’s ready."

Although many construction projects tend to take longer than planned, McFarland says the RMOW shopped around for a contractor that had a reputation for getting projects completed on time.

"It’s not an option to run late, it’s just not." he said.

Although many businesses that will be directly affected by the construction have voiced their concerns regarding the project, McFarland said that all of them are actually in favour of renovating the Village Square.

"By and large everyone who sees the plan is looking forward to it," he said.

"What we’re seeing with all of the construction work is businesses reinvesting in Whistler, and so in the muni. We haven’t done anything significant in Village Square in 25 years.

"We all realize that this is an important area for Whistler. Village Square functions well, it just needs to be refreshed."

The new square will have a tiered look. After entering through the Village Gateway, visitors will walk down three steps, instead of six, onto a wide terrace that will run along the border of the areas from the liquor store to Araxi Restaurant. That terrace will include patio seating for Moguls and the Grocery Store, planter boxes, and a public art project to salute Whistler legends. The art project will consist of glass patio stones engraved with local images and stories which will be backlit at night.

The existing planter boxes will be moved further down to the area outside the liquor store, and another public art project is planned for the map kiosk. The wheelchair ramp will be broken into two parts, one part descending to the terrace and the other descending the other three steps into the village.

The entire terrace will be heat-traced to keep it clear of snow during the winter.

Other improvements to the square include additional power sources for events, embedded anchors for tents and displays, and additional benches.

McFarland acknowledges that the timing of the Village Square enhancement project coincides with construction projects taking place in the Crystal Lodge and Blackcomb Lodge, which border on the square, and to the nearby Delta Whistler Resort.

"It’s unfortunate that so much construction is going on at the same time. Some businesses were hoping to get the (Village Square) project started earlier in the spring, but in the end the RMOW decided to wait until after the conclusion of the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival," said McFarland.

Dave Kirk, the owner of Sportstop, wrote a letter to the municipality more than a year ago asking them to ensure that the redevelopment of the village is done in an orderly manner.

"I just think that there’s a need to consider how many projects can be done at a given time before you interrupt the flow of traffic," he said. "There’s no question that there will be a consequence for too much activity and that consequence is going to come in the form of noise and disruption. And unsightliness – that’s not what people come to see the village for.

"It has to be done, but you have to give consideration as to how much is okay… you have to space them out, you have to be careful how many redevelopment permits are offered."

Kirk says the timing of the Village Square project and Crystal Lodge renovation is bad for his business, which is located in the Crystal Lodge building opposite the square. Business was down between 15 to 20 per cent last winter, "and that’s down compared to the year before that," he said.

Some of the businesses in the Crystal Lodge have been forced to close temporarily with construction already underway on that project, but they are expected to return when the main part of the construction is over in the fall.

Whistler Eco-Tours has already been forced to relocate from its current spot in the Blackcomb Lodge as that building prepares for renovations in June. The company moved into another location beside Moguls where they will be impacted by the renovations to Village Square.

Elliot Moses, who co-owns Whistler Eco-Tours with his brother Keenan, says they would have preferred it if the Village Square construction started earlier.

"We’re very concerned, obviously…. We were hoping they would have construction underway by now, but they bumped it back," he said.

"They promised us it will be done by July 1, promised, so that’s the key thing we’re hoping for now. Other than that it’s just grin and bear it, really."

Moses says there will be signs to let the public know what stores are in the construction area, what they offer, and their hours of operation.

"The muni’s been great, they’ve been great communicating for us and trying to work with us. They’ve been good, but it’s going to be frustrating, that’s for sure," said Moses.

Whistler Eco-Tours, which offers canoe and kayak, hiking, biking and fishing tours to visitors, will market its services harder this spring to compensate for the amount of traffic they expect to lose through that part of the village.

"However they do it, our biggest fear is that people will walk up to where we are, see the construction, and head the other way. It’s going to scare people away instead of bringing people. The highway construction’s enough," said Moses.

"We’re going to try hitting the pavement a lot more, just walking around and making ourselves visible, and we’ll also try to work with the concierges more.

"One concern is that we want to have our bikes sitting out in Village Square to let people know that we are there, but obviously that got the axe."

Dan Ellis, the owner and operator of Armchair Books, says that business owners have no choice but to make the best of the situation.

"Just like other merchants around here we’re facing some disruption in business, I think, and I’m concerned about it. In the end I think it’s going to look nice but I think it’s a harsh reality that we’re going to have to work within this construction zone with all the noise and dust, and things like that," said Ellis.

"The timing couldn’t be worse for a lot of businesses that have already suffered a bad year. All of a sudden we’re going into the slump season, and we’ve got all of this construction going on. It’s horrible timing, but I guess it has to be done."

Village Construction Projects

Village Square Renovation – April 26 to July 1

Hoarding will go up on Monday and will come down in time for Canada Day, although there may be a few touch-ups required. Stores in Village Square will remain open with signs advising people how to find them in the construction area.

Blackcomb Lodge Renovation – June to October

All 60 suites in the Blackcomb Lodge, one of Whistler’s original hotels, will be renovated this summer at a cost of $5 million. Renovations to the lobby, pool area and roof have already been completed. The objective is to turn the Blackcomb Lodge from a two-star hotel to a four-star hotel, while allowing private ownership of the suites.

Crystal Lodge Renovation – April to November

In addition to ground floor renovations, such as a new lobby, the Crystal Lodge will expand upwards to four floors to allow for the addition of approximately 20 new suites. A new roof will also be added.

Delta Whistler Resort Renovation – May 16 to late October

Renovations to this 25-year-old hotel include the addition of 10 townhouses to the centre courtyard of the hotel, additional retail space near Mountain Square with accommodation above it, and the addition of a fifth floor on the south wing of the hotel. The extra floor will create loft rooms for existing suites that will fall under a new roofline.

Highway 99 Construction – Ongoing

Highway closures started again earlier this month. From April 26 to June 30 the daily closures are 1 a.m. to 6 a.m., 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., noon to 1 p.m., 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight, from Monday to Friday with the exception of holidays. In addition, drivers can expect regular construction delays between five minutes and 30 minutes, depending on the time of day.