Today I walked down the Granville Street area. Technically we don’t have any more FIFA events being hosted at BC Place, so most of the tourists should be heading back home. I was curious to see how busy the area would be without the FIFA events. Sure enough, at the beginning of the street it was pretty much dead. It felt like a regular day with hardly any extra traffic. A lot of the seats and exhibits were empty. As I walked further into the middle of the area though, it got a bit busier, similar to a normal busy day with regular vehicles and transit.
Still, it was a clear sign that a lot of the businesses in the area aren’t seeing the same level of activity without an event. It makes you wonder whether the current setup is actually going to last. A lot of people were pushing for an extension, and from what I understand, they’re going to stretch it out toward the end of the summer. So, the question is, will it be a success? One thing I noticed is that usually you’d see a lot of police officers around during the events, but this time they weren’t even there, which suggests they weren’t expecting much foot traffic either.
The one clear benefit is that it has made this part of Granville a lot livelier, and it actually makes more sense now. They moved the transit a block over, and Granville with all its businesses and restaurants feels like the right place for that energy. The other side mostly had the art gallery and hotel entrances, so it wasn’t as ideal. Still, the traffic has definitely dropped. Now the real question is whether the area will feel the same energy during a regular season hockey game. Will people pack the streets and create that same vibe? We don’t know yet. But from what I saw, it seems like they’re going to need consistent events to keep the momentum going. Businesses won’t see steady growth without something drawing people in. People say if you build it they will come, but in this case, you’re going to need something more to supplement it.