BUSINESSES BRACE FOR DAVIE VILLAGE UPGRADES
Construction expected to last until spring 2028

by John Streit
(click images to enlarge)

**Businesses remain open as WATER SERVICE WORK ON DAVIE proceeds AHEAD OF UPGRADES.**

If you’ve lived in the West End for a few years and walk, roll, or drive along Davie Street from Jervis to Thurlow, you may be reminded not much has changed along that stretch in many decades. Except when lit-up with strings of colourful night lights, the streetscape may appear to be a little grey and worn-down. If you look at old photos, nothing much (except for some of the businesses) has changed. Plus, it’s a very vehicle-centric street despite its billing as the people-packed heart of Davie Village.

“Davie Village is definitely in need of some love” says Teri Smith with the West End Business Improvement Association. “The public realm is looking tired and some of the infrastructure is reaching the end of its life cycle. The sidewalks are relatively narrow (around three metres wide) and in poor condition in places, the trees are unhealthy and not thriving, and the existing lighting infrastructure has also been failing and has become too expensive to repair,” she maintains.

**ARTIST RENDERING OF FUTURE DAVIE UPGRADES NEAR BUTE.** *(COV RENDERING)*

“There isn’t sufficient space in some areas to comfortably accommodate pedestrians, patios, transit users, and other street activity. While Davie Village continues to have a lot of energy and character, the physical infrastructure hasn't kept pace with the needs of today.”

The City of Vancouver has begun water service work ahead of an estimated $15-million renewal of Davie Village described by officials as prioritizing walkability, strengthening public life, and supporting local businesses – guided by the West End Community Plan along with the feedback of over almost 1,100 people in a public survey.

Key improvements in the busy commercial area include:

Widening sidewalks by about two metres on each side of Davie between Jervis and Thurlow streets.
Increasing the size of waiting areas at transit stops.
Landscaping and new trees supported by green rainwater infrastructure.
New street furniture, including seating and bike racks.
New pedestrian lighting.
Additional space for patios.
Relocating the Heart of Davie sign to a more prominent location.
Upgrading electrical infrastructure, including trolley poles.
A new mid-block pedestrian crossing between Bute and Thurlow streets.
New Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag at crosswalks at Bute Street and the mid-block crossing
Tree grates and bus shelter panels designed by local First Nations artists

**ARTIST RENDERING OF FUTURE DAVIE ST PUBLIC SPACE.** *(COV RENDERING)*

Teri Smith says her BIA is supportive of the COV upgrades. “We think they have the potential to significantly improve how Davie Village looks, feels, and functions, while creating a better experience for residents, visitors, and businesses. At the outset, one of our concerns was the amount of on-street parking that would be removed. However, through the engagement process we gained a better understanding of how people actually travel to Davie Village. The City's data showed that 91 percent of visitors arrive by foot, bike, or transit, and we do have off-street available within Davie Village. With that context, coupled with the support of businesses, we felt the trade-off was worthwhile to create substantially wider sidewalks and more space for pedestrians, patios, and other commercial and community uses. When completed, the area will include design accessible parking spaces on each block as well as new pick-up and drop-off spaces,” she says.

But at The Only, a relatively new vintage clothing market in the old Rogers Video store on Davie near Jervis, there are concerns. “The fact there will never be parking in front of the store again is a huge concern not only for myself to drop off clothes, which I do twice a week, but for our regular customers and stylists,” says Liz Krebs, vice president of operations at The Only. “There’s already a lack of parking in the West End in my opinion. And then during construction visibility to the store will be a huge issue,” she adds.

The City of Vancouver says of the 236 parking spaces in Davie Village between Thurlow and Jervis streets today, the majority (77 percent or 183) are paid spots located in parkades or surface lots. “They can be accessed from Davie Street, the lanes, or from Thurlow Street and will remain open during and after construction. To accommodate the wider sidewalks and create more space for walking, 53 on-street parking spaces in these two blocks are being reallocated,” according to the COV.

To mitigate this change in parking:

Each block will include parking pockets to support pick-up and drop-off of people and goods (loading and passenger zones) and accessible parking (one SPARC permit space per block). These were located based on community feedback.
Wayfinding to off-street parking has been improved, with new “P” signs installed in 2025 to make the location of off-street spaces clearer before construction started.

Smith acknowledges some businesses raised concerns about the loss of on-street parking during the consultation process, which dated back to 2022. “Now that we've moved into implementation, the conversation has naturally shifted. Businesses are concerned about construction disruption, reduced parking, pedestrian and customer access, visibility, noise, service interruptions, and the potential impact on foot traffic and revenues,” she says.

Jeff Lockwood is general manager of Score on Davie, the always busy gastropub near the Jervis end of the street upgrades. “I get it, it sucks, it's for the greater good, but it's definitely going to hurt. I'm trying to maintain a positive spin on things for my staff and a silver lining and all that, but all in all, it's going to hurt us for two years,” he says.

**NARROW AND BUCKLING SIDEWALK OUTSIDE SCORE ON DAVIE**.

Liz Krebs at The Only admits she’s very stressed about this construction. “I understand once it’s finished the wider sidewalk will be nice and I know the trees need to be replaced as they’re causing problems but a year-and-a-half of construction (and let’s be real I’m sure it will take longer than planned) is obviously going to strain all of these small businesses,” she says.

Smith agrees those concerns are very real. “The construction period is expected to run from fall 2026 through spring 2028, so our focus is ensuring businesses remain accessible and visible and that disruptions are minimized wherever possible. The City has committed to maintaining business access throughout construction, and we'll be monitoring that closely,” she says.

“Now that we're in construction, our advocacy has shifted toward mitigating the impacts on businesses. We've asked for pedestrian and business access to be maintained, timely and accurate communication about construction schedules and service interruptions, clear signage showing that businesses remain open, and as much advance notice as possible when work will significantly affect business operations. Depending on the duration and severity of the economic impacts, we may also need to have a conversation about other supports for affected businesses.”

During any major and lengthy civic construction project, there are bound to be impacts on transit. The City says bus service will be maintained along Davie. “However, some bus stops will need to be temporarily relocated. From now until spring 2027, the eastbound stop at Jervis Street and the westbound stop at Bute Street will be closed, with the possibility of other short-term closures or relocations of other stops.

**ONE OF 29 TREES SLATED TO BE REMOVED.**

Along with parking spots, many trees along Davie between Thurlow and Jervis will be removed for sidewalk widening and accessibility. “Twenty-nine trees located on both sides of Davie Street between Jervis Street and Thurlow Street will be removed and replaced, many of which are in poor condition. Forty replacement trees will be planted with improved growing conditions, including larger soil volumes and better rainwater access. Trees chosen will consist of climate-adapted species consistent with the City’s Urban Forest Strategy,” the City of Vancouver tells The West End Journal.

We asked Teri Smith at the BIA if her group asked the City for anything in particular in relation to the Davie upgrades.

“Yes. We shared our vision and ideas for the street throughout the process and advocated for several elements that we felt were important to both businesses and the overall Davie Village experience. That included pedestrian-scale lighting, building-side patios, refreshed Pride crosswalks featuring the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Progress flag, as well as a complementary mid-block crossing, new seating and street furniture, and improvements that create more usable pedestrian and commercial space. There are also important improvements people won't necessarily see, including larger tree pits, green rainwater infrastructure, and updated electrical infrastructure,” she says.

**UPGRADES WILL MEAN FEWER STREET PARKING OPTIONS.**

The West End Journal also asked both the City of Vancouver and West End Business Improvement Association why not continue the Davie Village upgrades all the way to Burrard Street? “We will look at delivering this block in a future construction phase. Later delivery allows for further technical studies and engagement to be carried out to inform the most appropriate design on this block,” says the COV. Teri Smith at the BIA provided more context about the 1000 block of Davie. “It has a different business and property mix, including a medical office building and two anticipated redevelopment sites, and there were also budget constraints within the City's current capital planning,” she says.

Although fearful of the construction near Jervis, Liz Krebs at The Only is hopeful the sidewalk upgrades draw more street traffic including more tourists. “I hope that people continue to support these small businesses throughout this process especially during the winter months. It’s a long road ahead. The construction just started and every hour of each day has been completely different in terms of what they’ve been doing and blocking off, which makes it hard to plan as a business in terms of scheduling staff etc.”

Teri Smith at the WE BIA wants people to know Davie Village remains open for business throughout construction. “The next year and a half will undoubtedly bring some disruption, and our local businesses are going to need the community's support while these improvements are underway. We’re encouraging residents and visitors to continue coming to Davie Village to shop locally, dine at your favourite restaurants, grab a coffee, visit the businesses you rely on, and maybe discover somewhere new. Even if construction makes things a little less convenient at times, those everyday decisions to support local can make a meaningful difference to a small business.”

Despite the possible financial impact on his business, Jeff Lockwood at Score on Davie appreciates all the upgrades and was part of consultations involving the City and BIA.

“I think Davie Street needs beautifying. A bit of a glow up, needs some love, needs some attention. Just like Robson Street and just like Main Street with the little side parks and plazas. Granville has gotten some love too. I think the sidewalks do need to be bigger. I think the trees need to go and be replaced because they're buckling the sidewalks. I think Davie could become more of a destination for people. I don't know if a lot of people are like, “hey, let's go hang out on Davie Street.” I think we're going to be able to weather the storm and get through this and come out the other end, better for it.”

West Ender John Streit has been a B.C. radio, TV, and online journalist
for more than 25 years. You can listen to John anchor
Global News weekday mornings on 730 CKNW Radio in Vancouver.