Lloydminster‘s Downtown Area Redevelopment Committee marked five years Monday, telling council the biggest barrier to new investment downtown is not perception. It is property owners who have not kept their buildings up.

The committee, chaired by Ben Harrison with Kerry Million as vice-chair, presented its 2026 annual update to the Governance and Priorities Committee. Council directed the recommendations forward to a Regular Council meeting Sept. 21 for a formal decision.

“Delinquent property owners”

Coun. Michael Diachuk asked what stops new businesses and property buyers from committing downtown, given the gap analysis already completed by the city’s economic development team.

Million answered directly.

“There still is a lot of work to be done essentially for, I guess the best words would be delinquent property owners,” said Million. “There’s a large portion of work that has to be done and approved on there.”

Million said new investment depends on more than low operating costs.

“It’s about appearance, accessibility for customers, just the overall feel of the area has to be pleasant and accepting and fresh,” said Million.

Two larger façade and rehabilitation grants have gone out this year, to Explosion Gymnastics and to a building at 52 Street and 48 Avenue, formerly a transportation and oilfield company office.

“Those programs have helped a lot,” said Million. “There’s still work to be done because it seems a lot of the businesses and investors that took advantage of those programs at their inception did. Now we have to start working on the people that aren’t quite as receptive maybe to spending some of their own capital on those projects.”

Parking numbers versus parking perception

Coun. David Lopez said he hears constant complaints about downtown parking despite rarely experiencing it himself.

“I had a friend last week came to see me and goes, man, there is no parking downtown,” said Lopez. “And he literally was parked across the street from my office.”

Million said the committee has committed to protecting existing stalls as redevelopment continues, and pointed to Phase 1B as a concrete example.

“With any of the new development areas that we proceed on from this point forward, don’t take any parking away,” said Million. “There’s actually seven new ones. And if you add in the accessibility stalls, you have eight new spots versus what was there in one block.”

Million said the misconception itself may not be worth chasing.

“You’re never going to change people’s perception about what they feel is convenient for them, because that’s all a matter of personal preference,” said Million.

Return on investment

Coun. Justin Vance, who sits on the committee, pointed to the multiplier effect of the city’s façade grant program.

“When the city is investing for every dollar, we’re getting back three to five dollars of private investment back into our city,” said Vance. “This year we’ve seen like a huge increase in that with two full rehabilitations and numerous facade rebuilds.”

A push for an independent downtown group

Coun. Michele Charles Gustafson asked how a business owner without a personal connection to the committee would know how to get involved.

“There’s also been discussions about forming a downtown group, an official organized group,” said Million. “That’s something that myself and some others are working on with the goal of having better communication between the downtown business people, stakeholders, that sort of thing.”

Charles Gustafson said the committee’s focus is shifting after five years of infrastructure work.

“We’re at an inflection point with this committee,” said Charles Gustafson. “We know that it’s the number of visits that people take coming downtown, but it’s also the stickiness, how long they spend down there.”

What’s next

Mayor Gerald Aalbers floated reviving late-night Thursday shopping downtown ahead of the holiday season, and asked the committee to gauge interest among businesses.

Million said the practice existed in the city before, though it has faded, and said the committee would raise it with downtown business groups.

The 2026 Downtown Area Redevelopment Committee update heads to Regular Council on Sept. 21 for a decision on its recommendations.