The Vancouver City Council has been presented with the idea of constructing a new sign from the ramp leading to Sixth Street downtown, and to my knowledge no cost or funding has been established. This past weekend we went downtown using this ramp and noticed how the area is filthy and dilapidated. No sign is going to change the look.
Upon being let out at the sidewalk for the movie theater, I noticed trash going up the steps and the condition of the sidewalk. After the movie, we stayed in lower downtown for dinner and could not help but notice the vacant buildings or buildings that are in such disrepair that you did not want to walk on that side of the street.
Before you spend any money on a sign, I would encourage you to contact every building owner (occupied or not) and business owner to demand that these buildings be cleaned up, repaired or removed. Each business owner or lease should paint, repair their storefronts to create a warm, inviting environment.
The city should spend the sign money to encourage and support the business owner and not waste money building a sign that welcomes to the downtown slum of Vancouver.
