The next step in bringing Richmond Row into the Downtown London Business Association will be taken Monday.
A staff report on the plan will be delivered to the meeting of the Planning and Environment Committee.
The merchants along Richmond Row voted 86% in favour of joining the organization and paying a levy to benefit from things such as downtown beautification projects and grants.
"We have facade grant loans and some of the furniture and things you see in the downtown, those things will now be available to the Richmond Row area," says Downtown London Business Association Chair Bob Usher, who notes the business owners have tried to do it on their own. "It has been a volunteer board that tries to meet so many times a year and do what they can do. They have no ability to make someone pay into their association, it's out of the goodness of your heart. This now becomes more mandatory with a full time staff that looks after all the things we do in the downtown."
Richmond Row, despite being a staple downtown, has never been part of the group.
It's expected Council will approve the partnership this Thursday at its final meeting before the holidays.
