About The Gateway
What is “The Gateway”?
The Gateway is a neighbourhood in Prince George that was officially adopted by the businesses operating within the area in 1995. Rather than complaining about the state of their drab and neglected neighbourhood, several small business owners put their heads together and came up with a plan to create a more inviting business district and to make their streets more pleasant for those who live here. Now formally known as the Gateway Business Improvement Area Society, or Gateway BIA, all of the property owners operating within The Gateway contribute funds on an annual basis toward the maintenance and continued beautification of the area. Today, The Gateway stands out as one of the loveliest and most cared-for areas of Prince George, with mature trees, gardens, benches, brick sidewalks, decorative lamps, street banners, and art installations lining its streets.
Where is The Gateway?
Marked by prominent signs at each end, The Gateway stretches along Victoria Street from 17th to 20th Avenue, and along 20th Avenue from Victoria Street towards Carney Street and the intersection of Highways 97 & 16. VIEW MAP
How is The Gateway Funded?
When they formed as a Society in 1995, the owners of the commercial properties in The Gateway arranged for the City of Prince George to collect extra property taxes from them each year, and then return this money to the Gateway BIA to use for aesthetic improvements to City-owned property within The Gateway. Since the Gateway BIA is completely volunteer-run, an elected board of directors is responsible for redirecting the money into beautification projects that will benefit all those living, working and shopping in the area. Thus, there are no overhead costs, and 100% of the Gateway BIA’s $100,000 annual budget goes directly into Gateway improvement projects.
Certain projects undertaken over the years have taken advantage of federal, provincial, and municipal government grants available at the time, but the majority of the approximately $3.6 million spent by the Gateway BIA over the past 23 years has been put forth by the businesses themselves.
Since all of the capital investments in The Gateway have taken place on City property, the City of Prince George has agreed to remain responsible for the upkeep of features such as sidewalks, gardens and lawn maintennance where applicable. The City also contributes to the purchase of the hanging flower baskets that line their streets. The Gateway BIA continues to provide for extras such as litter cleanup and tree and flower irrigation.
