Priority 05
Back small business, cut needless friction at the counter, and give Ward 3 reasons to spend locally instead of on the 400.
Header image: A small-town main street of brick storefronts at blue hour, lamps lit
A commuter town can very easily become a place people sleep in. The difference is whether there is anything worth walking to on a Saturday.
Most of what holds a small business back locally is friction the Town controls: permitting timelines, sign and patio rules written for a different era, and a process that assumes the applicant has a consultant. Making that faster and clearer costs almost nothing and is felt immediately.
The second half is demand. Events, markets, streetscape investment and decent parking and walking connections are what turn a strip of storefronts into a destination. That work belongs with the BIA and local operators, with the Town as a reliable partner rather than an obstacle.
Employment land matters too. A town that is only houses has to fund its services entirely from residential taxes, which is the slow route to an affordability problem.
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