South Granville BIA, Vancouver, BC Canada - More than 100 Years of great Retail!

Who is the South Granville
Business Improvement Association (SGBIA)?

The South Granville Business Improvement Associations is a self-funded, self-governing, grassroots organization established through the collective will of like-minded businesses operating within a defined geographic area. The City collects the levy from individual businesses on our behalf and remits to the BIA Board annually, following member approval of draft annual budgets.

BIAs do more than provide a common brand and voice for businesses. We also benefit the broader communities and the city as a whole through our contributions to street beautification, street safety, community events and sponsorships.

Through partnerships with other organizations and support to city departments, BIAs also are a catalyst for positive change, helping to address broader planning, economic and social initiatives.

Our goal is to create a clean, safe, invigorating and fun environment, within a sustainable economy and a strong, healthy community.

The South Granville BIA is geographically defined by the boundaries of Granville Street from 5th Avenue to 16th Avenue (N/S) and to the laneways on the east and west side of Granville. We also represent businesses on the south side of Broadway between Granville and Fir.

The SGBIA represents:

425 member businesses and property owners
$440 million in assessed property value
$593,000 in annual budget

There are a total of 20 BIAs in Vancouver, representing:

16,000 individual businesses,
More than 120,000 jobs – one in five jobs in Vancouver is in a BIA
6,410 properties in the city of Vancouver
$16.5 billion in assessed value or 63.5% of the entire Class-6 tax roll
$326.5 million dollars in annual property taxes –approximately 32% of the total tax revenue.

Vancouver BIA levies are almost $8 million annually, which is invested directly into results-oriented programs that respond to the unique needs of local businesses and residents.

BIAs first emerged in 1970 - in Toronto and Los Angeles. Vancouver’s first BIAs – Gastown and Mount Pleasant – formed in 1989. BIAs are now located around the world, including Canada, the US, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany and the U.K. There are more than 1,000 are in the U.S. and hundreds in Canada, including 58 in B.C.

The SGBIA is not the first merchant association in our area. More than sixty years ago, at a luncheon meeting at the I.O.O.F. Hall on West 8th Avenue, a "business men's association of the merchants of South Granville" was formed. One of their first official acts was to approve street decorations for the King's visit during the summer of 1939. In what the Province newspaper called "an ambitious scheme", they agreed to decorate eleven blocks of South Granville street with streamers, flags and a special Royal welcome banner, stretched across Granville at 12th Avenue. The cost for the project was $450.00.