Timmerman takes helm as ED of Village BIZ

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This article was published 22/07/2019 (2635 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brian Timmerman has a vision for Osborne Village.

The new executive director of the Osborne Village Business Improvement Zone (BIZ) may have only been in the role for a little while, but he already has a clear idea and plans in development to make it more safe, beautiful and vibrant for business owners, residents and visitors.

“I don’t think there’s another community like this one in the city,” he said. “It’s the most walkable and livable community, and it has so much to offer.”

It was the diversity and opportunity present in the Village that drew Timmerman out of retirement to take on the role.

Timmerman was the executive director of the Exchange District BIZ for 16 years, retiring in 2017, and looks forward to parlaying his experience to work with residents and retailers in the Village.

“I was always kind of envious of Osborne Village,” he said. “Sometimes it’s good for somebody to come in with a different perspective, so for me that was part of the charm of taking the position. I like nothing better than a good challenge.”

Timmerman succeeds Stephanie Meilleur, who served as executive director of the BIZ until December 2018.
Coming into the position, Timmerman will be working with a slightly larger member-supported budget than 2018 as he looks to implement new programming.

In March, city council approved an operating budget for the BIZ including $250,000 in revenues and $102,000 in expenditures. Revenues for the year include a total $200,000 levy on its members — a 46.7 per cent levy increase over 2018.

With the Village in a state of flux, and a number of commercial units sitting vacant for extended periods of time, Timmerman said seeing new tenants, such as the Za Pizza Bistro heading into the former Second Cup, is a promising sign.

“Osborne Village has been relatively stable and has always been one of the go-to communities in the city,” Timmerman said. “You get places for lease, that’s sometimes not a bad thing if it’s manageable, because it brings new vibrancy to the area.”

Top on his list of goals for the BIZ is increasing safety through an ambassador program. Similar to the pilot that ran in 2018, the ambassador foot patrol would provide information to visitors and add a increased level of security to the neighbourhood. He hopes to have the patrol up and running by spring 2020.

Timmerman also wants to establish a communication network among shop owners that would allow them to share information with each other about problem customers and other challenges.

Another of Timmerman’s goals is a beautification project with a two-pronged approach: first, cleaning up graffiti and printed materials like handbills and posters taped to light posts; and second, adding more visuals to make the area even more inviting and appealing. He has his sights set on a plot of land at Osborne and Stradbrook that already has large planters that can be spruced up, as well as placing planters along the sidewalks in the neighbourhood. A green team is currently in the area every second day picking up litter.

“When we can get these two things going, then we’ll ramp up marketing,” he said. “There’s a rich history here that we’d like to delve into. There’s so much to explore.”

Although Timmerman’s relatively new to this role, he’s quickly become one of the area’s proud ambassadors who speaks enthusiastically about all the Village has to offer, like the recent Canada Day celebration.

That brings him to his vision — creating more events to draw visitors. He says he’d love to implement a food tour in the Village, much like the one that runs in the Exchange, where guests visit several culinary hot spots in the area to sample a variety of dishes, starting with an appetizer at the first location, a main at the second location, and dessert at the third.

“We started them in the Exchange District and they were immensely popular. They were almost always sold out,” he said. “With all the great restaurants in Osborne Village, I think it would go over very well and we’d see the same success. I’m excited about what we can make happen in the Village.”

— with files from Danielle Da Silva