Efforts to revitalize Brandon’s downtown core progressing: city official

Brandon’s efforts to revitalize its downtown core by building more residential housing seem to be progressing well, a city planner said last week.

An empty lot on the corner of Ninth Street and Princess Avenue in downtown Brandon is being prospected as the site of a 90-unit residential building, director of planning Ryan Nickel said at an event held on Jan. 16. “We’re further along than we’ve ever been.”

He also noted that the construction of the building has not been finalized as the city is working on getting the necessary permits. Not many details were shared about the proposal as the project is still in the planning stages.

Nickel shared this information during a town hall event held in the city hall foyer on Jan. 16. Entitled “State of the Downtown,” the event was attended by a group of presenters, including the Brandon police chief and others who spoke about the efforts being made to improve the area in order to attract more businesses and to enhance the overall livability of the neighborhood.

About 100 people attended the event.

Elaborating further on the city’s plans for the area, Nickel said it wants to make use of vacant and derelict properties, and is, “hoping that these will become useful properties downtown that add to the vibrancy we’re looking to create.”

He added that the city has also purchased other properties as part of this initiative, including a plot of land, formerly occupied by an Esso gas station.

Attracting businesses to the downtown and retaining them is also a priority, said Emmanuel Ahaneku, director of the Brandon Downtown Development Corporation. Ahaneku gave a presentation that showed how several projects in 2024 focused on improving the look of storefronts, as well as upgrading the interiors.

During question period, a resident stood up and asked about properties values downtown. He later said his friend lives in a building near the McKenzie Seeds tower and that he has been stopped multiple times while trying to enter the building by a group of people that loiter in the entrance way and that he has witnessed them using drugs.

Coun. Kris Dejarlais (Ward 2) responded to the question by saying it is a difficult balance to strike — providing services to people but also keeping all corners of the downtown orderly. He emphasized that the city and many outside players are working together on that front.

At a later presentation, Brandon Police Service (BPS) Chief Tyler Bates said BPS is working to increase their visibility in the area. He added that BPS staff are working on a public safety plan that will address “social disorder” issues.

Part of that will be informed by statistics, he pointed out. The police is also building a database that it can then use to shift police presence to the most needed areas.

“We know where the hot spots are downtown by virtue of where our officers are responding,” he said in a presentation.

Desjarlais said the city is invested in keeping the downtown alive, and that it has a reason to. From a financial standpoint, he said the downtown core generates a high amount of tax dollars, and so the city understands the importance of keeping the core up.

“As important as our growth is in our southwest area, we cannot take our eye off downtown,” said Desjarlais.

Nickel told attendees during his presentation that it’s a good time to shift the approach to downtown. He said the (city’s) focus for a while has been on problem identification, which has its uses, but after that step the best way to spend energy now is to create solutions.

This story was originally published in the Brandon Sun. It is republished under a Creative Commons license as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.