Where do you like to go to after-hours, St. Albert?
There is lots of housing and commercial development moving into the city, but what about a new movie theatre, a museum or dare we say a dance club?
To figure out what St. Albertans want for entertainment options, the city’s economic development division has now hired Vancouver-based Urbanics Consultants Ltd. to ask around.
Urbanics will be conducting telephone surveys, as well as in-person interviews at the farmers’ market until Oct. 18. A final report will go before city council in November.
“It’s another tool to help us understand what St. Albert is lacking, what it is that St. Albertans are looking for and what it is that we can attract to St. Albert,” said Sean McRitchie, manager of business attraction.
Thanks to better access to the national highway system, and a growing economy, St. Albert has been experiencing a constant rise in population.
But a large part of the city’s labour force is still leaving every morning to work in Edmonton, a city that also attracts many entertainment seekers, said McRitchie.
The study will now examine existing entertainment options in St. Albert, and compare the city to others in the region, examine resident spending habits and decide where entertainment could go and whether St. Albert could use an entertainment district.
“We are really trying to put something together that we can take to the development community,” said McRitchie.
“Not just in St. Albert but in Toronto and Vancouver and bring something to these developers that screams we have a vibrant community that’s worth investment and here’s the proof.”
He added that the Entertainment Demand Study is only one part of a whole series of studies economic development has been conducting to diversify the city’s economy, and to present to developers.
While developers create their own studies as well, those are often specific to the property they are building on, he said. The city’s studies look at what St. Albert needs as a whole, he said.
The entertainment study is expected to cost between $30,000 and $40,000.
“It’s one thing for St. Albert to just focus in on one type of business,” he said. “We want to have a community where people can work, live and play.”
Urbanics Consultants Ltd. is expected to contact about 350 to 400 people by phone in the next two weeks.
McRitchie hopes that residents will also participate in an online survey available at fluidsurveys.com/s/stalbertentertainment. City staff will be on-site at the St. Albert Farmers’ Market on Oct. 11, for people who’d like to fill out the survey in person.
