Bringing Life to the Streets of the Downtown Eastside (DTES)

Hastings Street Renaissance

The Hastings Renaissance Program addressed the vacant storefront and deteriorating building stock on Hastings Street. This program improved the neighbourhood streetscape, provided more lighting for businesses and helped to establish new businesses by re-using existing, deteriorating building stock.

Affordable spaces were secured to foster community-based economic development. The Program provided a façade improvement grant to non-profit organisations that were future tenants for vacant storefronts, or that acted as project managers to liaise with future tenants.

With support from the Great Beginnings Program, the City assisted in the façade renovations for six buildings in the first phase of the Program. Tenants of the buildings were able to use the City’s investment for façade upgrades as leverage to negotiate more favourable terms in their lease agreements with property owners.

The benefits include six renovated storefronts with upgraded facades and new retail tenants. The storefronts support arts businesses such as theatres, studios or galleries.

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