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SEAN WOOD · PARKSVILLE. PREPARED.
Sand sculpture at Parksville Beach Festival
Parksville. Prepared.

The heart of our city.

Downtown is where you run into your neighbour at the coffee shop, where local businesses build livelihoods, and where visitors decide whether to come back. It matters.

Downtown Vitality · Parksville

Downtown Core

What's happening in Parksville's downtown — the organizations, investments, and plans shaping the city centre.

Business & Governance
Downtown Business Association
The Parksville & District Business Association (PDBA) administers the Business Improvement Area: 600 property owners and 230 businesses between McMillan, McVickers, Jensen, and the waterfront.
The PDBA is currently developing a 5–7 year strategic plan for the downtown core — setting priorities for marketing, events, beautification, and business development across the BIA.
Capital Project
Facade Rejuvenation
$500K
A facade and accessibility rejuvenation project, with a provincial grant pending. The project aims to refresh building fronts and improve accessibility throughout the downtown core — making the streetscape more welcoming for everyone.
PDBA hopeful for $500K rejuvenation PQB News
2025 Pilot
Street Patio Program
A 2025 pilot allowing restaurants and cafes to operate patios on adjacent streets. The zoning bylaw was amended for the TR-1 zone to make this possible.
Cost to participate: $150 processing fee + ~$360/year rent. A concrete, low-cost step toward street-level vibrancy and a more walkable downtown.
Completed 2022
Memorial Avenue Revitalization
$4M
Major upgrade completed in 2022: Memorial Plaza (13,800 sq ft of public gathering space), Hirst Avenue West improvements, and underground utility renewal.
Funded partly by the Federal Gas Tax Fund and ICBC. This project transformed a section of downtown into usable public space — the kind of investment that compounds over time.
Public Engagement
Imagine Parksville Downtown
$100K
A provincial grant funded extensive public engagement asking residents what they want for their downtown.
What residents asked for: walkability, waterfront connection, diverse shops and restaurants, nightlife, and family events. These findings should shape future council decisions about downtown investment and zoning.
Economic Development
Food Trucks & Entrepreneurs
Food truck concession pads are available in Community Park, providing a low-barrier entry point for local food entrepreneurs.
The PDBA's strategic plan includes an entrepreneur development and incubation hub — supporting new businesses from idea to storefront. This is how downtowns grow from the inside.
Community Park project page Let's Talk Parksville

At the Council Table

From council video recordings. Click to watch the original.

At the Council Table
"You guys do a great job downtown. I love to see you're working with the city staff and us, keep working to make downtown more vibrant, beautiful."
Council Meeting, March 16, 2026 Watch this moment
At the Council Table
"It is unreal the change that we've seen here at the council table with the Chamber of Commerce. Just unreal. Huge thanks to the work that you and the board are doing."
Council Meeting, March 16, 2026 Watch this moment

Keep the heart beating.

Supporting local business, improving accessibility, and acting on what residents actually asked for in the Imagine Parksville process — that's how we keep the heart beating.

Explore all 10 topics → votewood.ca
Sources: Parksville Downtown Business Association, City of Parksville, Let's Talk Parksville.
All figures from official city reports, council documents, and local news coverage.
October 17, 2026One conversation at a time.Know someone who should see this?