Tourism agency presents plan to rebuild visitation
Banff & Lake Louise Tourism presented to Council its 2022 business plan for supporting post-pandemic recovery. The focus of the plan includes marketing to rebuild awareness and immediate visitation to the national park and the townsite. The plan also includes dedicated resources to longer-term planning for a sustainable and resilient tourism destination.
The three objectives for 2022 are:
- Rebuild year-round demand for Banff and Lake Louise
- Create the foundation for BLLT’s digital transformation
- Develop the Tourism Master Plan for Banff National Park
The objective to motivate visitation year-round includes a priority focus on marketing to the regional area and a focus to include promotion of visitation in the summer months. In pre-pandemic years, marketing did not focus on summer visitation due to strong tourism, and instead focused on increasing visitation in shoulder seasons.
The objective to develop a tourism master plan will involve community input over the year.
Visit the plan at: https://www.banfflakelouise.com/members/2022-business-plan
Council freezes development of forested land beside hospital
Council has put a hold on any planning or action regarding a parcel of municipal land just south of the hospital, until council provides specific direction.
The forested parcel of land, located along Wolf Street, south of Mineral Springs Hospital and facing onto the Canoe Docks parking lot, is the subject of discussion by a resident group that asked council to dedicate the Town land for future development of seniors housing and accessible units. The resident group does not have a formal proposal.
Council voted to hold off any activity that could impede the development of future senior and accessible housing, but they decided against starting a process to change the Land Use Bylaw that would allow housing on the parcel. The hold on the land will give the resident group time to develop a proposal, partnerships, or other organizational requirements for creating a project proposal.
Since affordable housing is a council priority, council will discuss the concept in workshops this spring and summer planned for building the 2023-27 Banff Strategic Plan. The council planning will examine housing demand, advice from Bow Valley Regional Housing, an inventory of available seniors housing and accessible units in Banff, land inventory, and facilities in the region.
Public hearing on sports equipment rental businesses in hotels
Council will consider a land use bylaw change to allow sports equipment rental businesses in a number of different land use districts. Currently, equipment rental businesses can only operate in the CD: Downtown District and CS: Commercial Services District. Administration received a request to change the bylaw to allow this type of business service in hotels by making it a discretionary use in the CA: Commercial Accommodation District, CB: Banff Springs Hotel District, and CT: Tunnel Mountain District land use districts.
A public hearing on the proposed change will be held March 28.