Abbotsford’s historic downtown is one of the jewels of our community. It’s home to more than 200 unique and diverse businesses, it’s a gathering place that hosts countless local events, and it’s a popular destination for film productions.
On April 22, Mayor Siemens and Councillors Barkman, Chahal, Driessen, Gibson and Loewen had the opportunity to learn more about some of the businesses that call the downtown home when we took part in a Business Spotlight tour hosted by the Abbotsford Downtown Business Association (ADBA).
ADBA is Abbotsford’s only business improvement area (BIA), which is a region established by a municipality and governed by a board that supports businesses through collaborative marketing, beautification and events management projects funded through a special levy on commercial properties.
In December 2025, City Council adopted an update to the Abbotsford Downtown Business Improvement Area Bylaw, which increased the number of properties in the BIA and the annual levy, allowing the ADBA to continue supporting even more initiatives and activities, some of which include Berry Fest, Yoga in the Park, and Winter Jubilee.
ADBA executive director Ryan Leonhard began the tour with a presentation at Open Space, an ADBA-operated space that hosts low-barrier arts, cultural and community programming. There he described how the downtown is growing, and the challenges and opportunities that come with that. He then led us through the downtown with stops at two newer businesses (Foxglove Floral Café and Night Owl Kitchen and Bar), and two established businesses (Lepp’s Bakehouse and Delicatessen and Simply Perfect Flowers), before wrapping up at the ADBA building in Jubilee Park.
The main concerns we heard from Ryan and the business owners about were issues around parking availability, safety, homelessness, cleanliness and maintenance, and the business impacts of construction, particularly around the Montvue Avenue and West Railway Plaza.
Our thanks to Ryan for showing us around and to the businesses owners who took a moment out of their busy day to share their thoughts with us. Getting to meet with the owners of this diverse group of new and established businesses helped us to better understand the unique challenges they face individually, as well as the common issues that are felt across all downtown businesses. The feedback we heard and the firsthand observations we made will help us identify ways Council and ADBA can align our priorities and where Council can provide support, direction and leadership.
Our historic downtown is central to Abbotsford’s identity, culture and economy, and its businesses are run by people who are passionate about making downtown Abbotsford a vibrant destination for all. We look forward to continually working with our downtown businesses to make sure they have what they need to succeed, because when our local businesses thrive, our entire community benefits.
Abbotsford City Council
