Businesses in White Rock

Make it so that uptown is like downtown and the waterfront like Gastown

Casino

Boutique shops, children's playing areas (indoor and outdoor), a cinema (like the Rialto), more art galleries, art studio for adults, maybe an arcade or indoor mini golf for the winter months. More variety of food restaurants and cafes.

Way more quality and casual cafes, bistros, and dining spots that are not chains and will create a downtown buzz and culture. I would also like a Cineplex.

We need to go more urban and stylish.

Aside from the usual ‘more diverse restaurants’ it would be great to see the beach have more active law and order. The crazy driving going on down there now is making it unsafe. There is just a generally unsafe feeling to the beach in the evenings now. Growing up in WR, the beach was always a fun place to meet up and hang out. That doesn’t seem to be the case anymore, and it’s a shame that it’s not the inclusive space it used to be.

As for the empty buildings and vacant restaurants, it’s time for the city to put a plan together to get those businesses occupied. There have been too many businesses lost due to landlords raising rents to an unrealistic level. I realize that’s Provincial, but there needs to be a solution. Who would spend huge amounts to start a business only to have their rents jacked up once they become successful.

I would love to have a Whole Foods ,
And I would love to see an authentic Italian Restaurant .

4. Completely transform East Beach
* Large children’s playground and splash area.
* Beach volleyball.
* Outdoor fitness equipment.
* Kayak and paddleboard rentals.
* Picnic and BBQ areas.
* More cafés and casual restaurants.
* Landscaped green spaces.
5. Create several waterfront plazas
* Pier Plaza — events, entertainment and gathering space.
* West Beach Plaza — restaurants, patios and nightlife.
* East Beach Family Park — recreation and children’s activities.
* Sunset Plaza — seating, landscaping and ocean viewpoints.
6. Modernize Marine Drive storefronts
* Encourage attractive contemporary storefronts.
* Replace dated signage and awnings.
* Improve restaurant patios.
* Introduce coordinated architectural lighting.
* Encourage boutique shops, bakeries, cafés and specialty businesses rather than empty or underused storefronts.
7. Turn White Rock into a year-round destination
* Covered and heated patios.

1. Make central Marine Drive pedestrian-first
* Wider sidewalks and promenade areas.
* Reduce traffic to one lane/one-way in selected sections.
* Pedestrian-only summer weekends or evenings.
* Expand restaurant patios into the reclaimed space.
* Add trees, planters, seating and attractive lighting.
2. Reduce waterfront surface parking
* Move more parking into parkades away from the immediate waterfront.
* Replace prime beachfront parking spaces with patios, landscaping and public spaces.
* Introduce a frequent shuttle connecting parking areas, Uptown and the beach.
3. Create a premium waterfront promenade
* High-quality paving throughout.
* Modern benches and loungers facing the ocean.
* Shade structures.
* Drinking fountains and bottle-filling stations.
* Better public washrooms.
* Attractive landscaping and architectural lighting.

Soup and sandwich places, more variety of cuisine (too many sushi and Indian places) tapas, piano bar, boutique shops, a big name chain where boathouse was, west coast cuisine on the waterfront. Diversity is needed.

A nice mall

No more vape or nail salons! Between Five Corners and North Bluff there are 4 vape stores and 4 nail salons. A small hardware store would be really appreciated. BC VQA wine store. Travel Agency. Service Canada? Return-It-Depot. Pure Bread bakery or Breka bakery!

The beach has lost all of its appeal. There is no longer the draw of good and varied restaurants. In the last few years there have been licences for the same ethnic food all along the strip. Many other establishments are siting empty and are an eyesore. Is there no bylaws to ensure that once a property has changed ownership there is a reasonable time frame given to open a new business.
Licensing should consider a variety of different business that can bring vitality and interest back to what could be the fantastic beach community it once was. The beach is what draws people to the area, but without atmosphere and presence there is little to offer.
Allowing boarded up buildings to sit empty for extended time periods, gives a run down appearance.
Additionally, there are very few events to draw families back to the beach. Now there are very few decent restaurants, pubs, and music venues to bring people back.

Get rid of all the Indian food restaurants for starters

Actual seaside stores (buy beach toys for kids)

Craft brewery

English food cafes

Bakery/independent cafe

No vape shops

Fresh fruit and vegetable market

Essentially go back to how it once was that brought so many people here in the first place

I would love to see more independent shops/boutiques for gifts and decor, a brewery/cidery or an Irish pub like we used to have! Would also lovr a bookstore, a craft ice cream shop like Banter’s in Abbotsford, and more diversity of restaurants - there’s far too many of the same thing (especially along the beach). I think the old Boathouse location would benefit from a place that’s well established already like Cactus Club, and would bring people around.

A more diverse selection of restaurants from Europe, China South America plus small boutiques

This is a long shot, but it would be amazing if there was a commuter train going to Vancouver! We have a station, we have the tracks. It would reduce traffic and make an easy commute to downtown for work and leisure.

Please revitalize the business on the beach. There’s no variety and not many exciting places. Nearby we have Ladner and Cloverdale which have boutique gift shops and exciting cafes. And of course the fantastic Fort Langley. I think we need to go in that direction to be attractive to locales and visitors. I live near, but prefer to go to Johnston to browse some shops. The parking fee doesn’t deter me so much as the lack of interesting businesses. More coffee shops and gift shops, thrift stores etc!

A hardware store like a home hardware would be useful to save driving to the big box stores. A good and reasonably priced Italian restaurant would get my business. Having restaurants on marine drive able to refund parking fees to customers might help drive up business in that area.

The uptown area is coming along nicely. Well done! The beach needs some help. The beach parking lots fill up most evenings, but the restaurants are not seeing that traffic. We have a destination, but not the engagement that sustains food and beverage providers. Part of this is related to ensuring the diversity of restaurant styles and options. The city could/should ensure that approval of business licenses does not result in the same type of business repeated along the strip. Ice cream is the only summer business that can handle that. If you want to get really innovative, trial restaurant patio service on the south side of the train station with two or three roped off piazza sections for i.e. Dastaan, OB, and Charlie (could be others) to operate tables beachside. That's what this would look like in Europe.

Italian Restaurant
A Michael’s
Vegan Restaurants with Dinner menus
Quality Yarn Store
Vegan Bakery
Live Music/Bar with comfortable seating and decent acoustics.