Downtown Strategy

Downtown Mural Program RFP Now Open

The City of Fort Saskatchewan is now seeking skilled artists to complete three new murals in downtown Fort Saskatchewan as part of the Downtown Action Plan. The City, with funding support from Alberta’s Northern and Regional Economic Development Program, is excited to bring more public art to the downtown area through the continuation of the Downtown Mural Program. Murals are an impactful way to bring beauty and vibrancy to an area, and often become a draw for visitors and residents alike.

Bringing together the members of our community and celebrating art, culture, and our local heritage are the overarching goals of Downtown Mural Program. Each mural will be designed to engage and be a source of pride for the community, serve as a memorable and welcoming landmark, and bring beauty and vibrancy to the area.

The RFP opened May 3, 2023. Artist submissions may be emailed to Viktoriia Yalanska (vyalanska@fortsask.ca) prior to the deadline of May 22, 2023, at 4 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Successful applicants will be contacted by May 26, 2023.

View the Downtown Mural Program RFP

The City of Fort Saskatchewan's Economic Development team are developing an Economic Development Strategy for the City's downtown. The Strategy will give Council and administration a tool for understanding the community's downtown vision and will provide a set of actions for attracting people and businesses to the City's core.

Downtown Action Plan

Council unanimous supported the implementation for the Downtown Action Plan. The Plan is designed to be short-term in nature and to identify those initiatives that will have a more immediate impact, and are readily achievable within a reasonable amount of resources. These initiatives aim to position downtown as a community gathering place where people meet, socialize, and celebrate. This approach will help downtown achieve a greater vibrancy and boost consumer spending in the district, increasing business profitability and increasing investment.

The Plan presents initiatives and activities designed to achieve four primary goals:

  1. Increase the number of visitors to the downtown
  2. Increase the frequency in which visitors come downtown
  3. Increase the length of time visitors stay downtown
  4. Increase private sector investment in the downtown

Check out the Downtown Action Plan

View the current Downtown Action Plan Strategy Progress

Vibrant Downtown Summary of Findings

The report found the public was most in support of initiatives which center around activation of public spaces enhancement of vacant lots. Additional ideas which were well supported included improving connection to the river valley, development of a central gathering plaza, and improvements to signage and wayfinding.

The 3 most supported ideas to improve the vibrancy of Downtown, in order of magnitude, were:

  1. Activate Legacy Park (89.2%)
  2. Activate Vacant Lots (87.8%)
  3. Beautify Vacant Lots (85%)

The 3 most supported actions to improve the vibrancy of Downtown, in order of magnitude, were:

  1. Grants for sidewalk cafes and patios (71.4%)
  2. Remove barriers to restaurant patios (62.4%)
  3. Grants to create event (47.8%)

View the full Vibrant Downtown Summary Report

Why is Downtown important to Fort Saskatchewan?

It provides identity and civic pride

Downtown Fort Saskatchewan is like no other place in the country. The history, the public spaces, the distinctive businesses, and one-of-a-kind events all give Fort Saskatchewan our unique identity.

It is the community’s gathering place

Downtown is the one neighbourhood that is shared by the community. Cafés, restaurants, shops, activities, events and festivals, make downtown a destination for celebrating and socializing outside of your home or workplace.

Our City’s “first impression”

  • Usually, the first place a visitor, tourist or an investor will visit is a community’s downtown.
  • It can leave a positive or negative “first impression” depending on the vitality of the neighbourhood.

Opportunity for small, local businesses

Lower rents, a variety of rental property and the unique environment offers our local small businesses a different option to shopping malls, big-box and strip centers.

Efficient land use form

Downtown provides a mix of residential, commercial and institutional uses in a very compact amount of land

Economic Benefit

Downtown is a relatively small commercial district that provides a high concentration of jobs, economic activity, retail spending, and tax revenue.

Has Downtown realized its full potential?

  • Downtown is a great community asset. How are we doing based on the vision that was developed 10 years ago?
  • If the answer to this question is “more work to do”, how do we, as a community, achieve our goals and expectations for Downtown.
  • Emphasis will be placed on the “How”.
    • How do we achieve our goal?
    • How do we turn a great idea into a tangible, impactful action? (Ie. Prototyping)
    • How do we get from dream to reality?