Evening activities for downtown Langley City are in the works.
The pilot market, as approved by council, will be held at McBurney Plaza to test the concept, with the south side of the plaza used by vendors and the north side used for an adult oriented entertainment area, where wine would be served.
Operated by the city and the Downtown Langley Business Association (DLBA), the activities could include everything from food trucks to live music.
A date for the first event has yet to be set, but planning is well underway, said City Coun. Paul Albrecht, the council liaison to the DLBA.
“We’ve got dollars, we’ve got commitments, we’ve got interest, so it’s just a matter of pulling the pieces together so we can move forward on it,” said Albrecht. The decision comes a year after an economic development strategy report report to council by Lions Gate Consulting suggested the possibility of an evening bazaar, similar to the one in Richmond.
The report said downtown Langley’s cluster of services would make it work well for a night market, which tends to attract more visitors to an area than the daytime.
The evening activities are part of a “Downtown Initiatives” package of measures approved by council in June, with an estimated budget of $55,000 — $10,000 of that coming from downtown merchants.
The package includes a pilot “Parklet” program to build what mayor Ted Schaffer described as a “quiet spot”, a mini-park sidewalk extension that provides more space and amenities for people using the street to sit and relax; the addition of several tables and chairs and a piano at McBurney Plaza for public use from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and sprucing up Fuller Lane with murals on walls, additional lighting, pavement marking for activities like basketball, and more frequent street sweeping.
Albrecht said the package aims to “bring some life and energy into our downtown area.”
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story indicated the City was a planning to host a night market. That is one option, however no decision has been made on what the evening activities will be. More information to come.