The document proposes creating a "Green Light District" in downtown Courtenay to revitalize the area and bring together community groups around sustainability. It suggests initially closing Duncan Ave to traffic to create an open-air market space. Further stages involve reconfiguring streets and designating surrounding businesses that promote sustainability. The goals are to give downtown an identity beyond big box stores, draw arts and culture, boost local businesses and jobs, and build alliances around building a resilient, sustainable valley.

1. Green Light District
Downtown Courtenay
Creating Community Alliances for a
resilient and sustainable Comox Valley

2. Green Light District Downtown Courtenay: what
would it look like?

3. Downtown Courtenay: First Stage
•Close off Duncan Ave between 5th
and 6th
Streets to create an open
small market environment of green space,
•Green Light District Branding,
•intriguing “green” featured kiosks (business and community groups
arts)
•street theatre/concert space,
•Community Way or GLD dollars as part of all sales,
•a “Sustainability Comox Valley Centre”,
• “green/fair trade” goods and services promoted,
• digital community notice board
•Sustainability Comox Valley display boards

4. Green Light District Downtown Courtenay:
what would it look like?

5. Green Light District Downtown Courtenay:
Featuring arts as the foundation of our valley
A Green Light District, centred on Duncan Ave and
featuring the Comox Valley Art Gallery, would be a
boom for artists, the arts and the Comox Valley’s
potential as a cultural tourism draw

6. Downtown Courtenay:
Second Stage
•Reconfigure 5th
Street (or 6th
) to one way traffic and diagonal parking
to create new space for GLD Kiosks, greenspace, walking/cycling
path,
•Designated GLD interested surrounding business featuring
sustainability orientated goods and services –and accepting $CW as
GLD businesses with signage and included on GLD map and GLD
promotions

7. Green Light District Downtown Courtenay: Third Stage
Downtown Courtenay as Comox
Valley Green Light District!

8. Green Light District Downtown Courtenay: Kiosks,
community market, theatre space and CW$ brand a
vital new business and cultural centre to our valley
Kiosks as important part
of the brand and the how

9. Green Light District Downtown Courtenay:
Sustainable transportation as inherent part of the
brand – and fun!

10. Green Light District Downtown Courtenay:
Why?
•Talking to the same people about the same themes in the
same way isn’t working
•As Sustainability focused groups, we NEED to interact
with a broader spectrum of the community in new ways—
where they are; in ways they can hear what we say as
relevant to their lives and the community they know

11. Green Light District Downtown Courtenay:
Why?
•Synergy and effectiveness of collaborative efforts
•A unique opportunity to bring a broad spectrum of our
community together in common goals and actions—
building active alliances
•Downtown Courtenay NEEDS a reason to be seen as an
alternative to Big Box Stores
• Our community needs an identity and purpose that is not
about Big Box consumerism and cars

12. Green Light District Downtown Courtenay:
Quality of life now and a sustaining future for our children!
A Green Light District would anchor a healthy, diverse and
sustainable valley as well as downtown economy; BUT—
keep this quiet for the moment—a, green/arts focused
culture to our community would, also, draw the kind of
people who care about the arts, about a beautiful,
sustainable valley and quality goods and experiences to
want to settle here thus providing a larger base for exactly
those values. (Marin County)

13. Green Light District Downtown Courtenay: Why
now?
Downtown Courtenay is hurting

14. Green Light District Downtown Courtenay: Why?
Downtown Courtenay is hurting &
Without treatment it will get worse

15. A Green Light District in Downtown Courtenay will
vitalize our downtown and contribute to building alliances for
a sustainable community that we will all be proud and
delighted to be a part of.
Kelowna, Whistler

16. Green Light District Downtown Courtenay: Why?
A Green Light District in Downtown Courtenay would:
•be a win - win for everyone in the Comox Valley.
•be very good for the valley’s economy and especially downtown
businesses.
•be great for artists of all sorts.
•be tremendous for residents of the valley want to continue to have a
community with a sense of locality, heritage, culture and belonging.
•be a real boost for those who want to preserve the environmental
quality of our valley.
•generate jobs, and business opportunity--real-additional jobs and
profitable business as no other option available
•an opportunity to bring the residents of the valley together in a way that has
not happened in the past
•It would be FUN!

17. Green Light District Downtown Courtenay: How?
Myth of municipal taxes as the problem
Lots of help
Strength of diversity of groups coming together
Funding
The time is right

18. Green Light District
Downtown Courtenay
Creating Community Alliances for a
resilient and sustainable Comox Valley