The Cloverdale Business Improvement Association held its AGM Feb. 25 and it wasn't just business as usual.
Along with the usual election/re-election of directors, adopting of past minutes and some financial reports, the BIA officially update membership on its plans for the next three years and a representative from the City of Surrey was on hand to give an update on Cloverdale's official Town Centre Plan (TCP).
The BIA is also awaiting word form the city to see if it's three-year renewal passes. This was voted on by members over the past two months and the last date for ballots to be cast was Feb. 20, the Thursday before the AGM. (Its renewal period is usually five years, but City Hall wanted all BIAs in the city to renew at the same time. Now, after an EGM was held in 2024, the Cloverdale BIA will next renew when all other BIAs in Surrey renew (for five years) in 2028.
Dean Moore, BIA president, opened the meeting by noting the volunteer directors were responsible for helping to make Cloverdale into the town it is.
“The work that the BIA directors do … changes this town,” he said. “And with Paul (Orazietti) at the helm, that’s how we get things done.”
After some opening remarks, Hamza Farooqui, a planning technician with the city, gave an update on the TCP. He said the Cloverdale plan is currently in step four, which is the final phase of the plan’s development.
Next up will be a commercial market study that will be held sometime in the next couple of months. And the city’s final community and stakeholder engagement sessions will coincide with the market study—likely to be held in either April or May. By late summer, Farooqui said the city will have the final document fully developed. Then the Cloverdale TCP will go before council in the fall for final approval.
At the meeting Moore and Paul Orazietti, the Cloverdale BIA executive director, discussed a variety of future capital projects, including some public parking lot upgrades, additional placemaking signage, and safety upgrades for the Highway 10 intersection at 177B Street.
Orazietti said the BIA had a successful 2024 and is looking ahead for the next three years. He also listed several goals the organization has over that same period, before their next renewal.
Those goals include ensuring the town centre business area grows “through increased use of mixed zoning and more commercial zoning." He also wants to attract more “unique retail” such as restaurants, health-care services and light-industrial businesses to “increase opportunities for business to remain open at night.”
The BIA also wants to improve public safety initiatives, such as creating better accessibility for all, including those with reduced mobility.
They also want to “continue to promote a historic flavour” for Cloverdale and it town centre.
Orazietti said the BIA is keen to help increase and improve parking spaces too—something he said the lack of which contributes to a barage of constant complaints from business owners and from shoppers. He added that after the city put gravel down on a new parking lot of 56A Avenue, it’s been full since it opened.
“The biggest priority for everyone is parking,” Orazietti said. “We’ve made incremental steps on modernizing some lots. And the next step will be to work on the lot directly behind the fire hall [No. 8].” He noted if the lot was paved, and a proper entrance way put in, the spaces there could be increased by about 10.
Other initiatives include: developing placemaking signage for Hawthorne Square, adding more heritage tourism signage that includes both interpretive signs and wayfinding signs, advocating for better transit services, advocating for much-needed infrastructure repairs, boosting security and crime prevention measures, and working closer with Cloverdale-based organizations, such as the Chamber and the Cloverdale Community Association.
There was also discussion and approval for continued support for the Cloverdale Market Days and Ladies Night Out events, along with the Surrey Santa Parade of Lights and pre-Cloverdale Rodeo events.
The BIA also approved a budget for 2025 at the meeting.
The BIA hosted the meeting at Crossridge Church (the Clova Theatre) and live-streamed it on Zoom.
For more info, call the BIA office at 604-576-3155, or email cloverdalebia@telus.net.
