City told to scrap parking plan

Tue, September 26, 2006

Politicians are warned the facility would lose $500,000 a year for 10 years.

By JONATHAN SHER, FREE PRESS CITY HALL REPORTER

City hall should ditch plans to set aside $2.5 million a year for a parking facility, an advisory committee recommended yesterday. The vote by the city's environment and transportation committee came after politicians were warned a new downtown parking facility would lose at least $500,000 a year for a decade. "We're urging council to reconsider," said Dave Schmidt, who chairs the transportation advisory committee. A study council relied upon to support a new parking strategy is flawed because its conclusions aren't supported by the evidence, said Graydon Knights, an advisory committee member. "It doesn't justify the need for 250 parking spaces downtown," Knights said. Advocates for more downtown parking argue spaces are being lost to development, a trend that could push business out of the downtown. One of their allies on council, Coun. Cheryl Miller, objected to the proposed change in course, saying pro-parking advocates were absent from the gallery yesterday because the report by the advisory committee was not on the agenda but rather made orally. "It's a bad way to do business," said Miller, who along with Controller Bud Polhill, wanted to stay the course. But Schmidt said his committee chose not to wait for a written report to go through the proper channels because he didn't want its advice to come too late -- city staff are negotiating with Tricar about building a parking garage in residential towers planned at Ridout and King streets. "We were concerned council may be moving forward with negotiations," he said. A consultant's study estimates the city would lose $500,000 a year on a parking facility but the actual number could be higher, Schmidt said. The study projected the annual loss based on an assumption the facility would be 85 per cent full during peak hours -- 23 per cent higher than the normal peak rate for the area, he said. His argument was supported by councillors Joni Baechler, Paul Van Meerbergen and Harold Usher, who recommended council reconsider its previous commitment. The matter goes to council Monday and since it involves reconsideration, two-thirds of council would be needed to change direction. Council voted earlier this month to approve a 600-unit, $100-million twin tower apartment project at Ridout and King but left open whether the city will pay about $3 million for a five-storey, 327-space public parking garage. Council will also consider during budget deliberations setting aside $2.5 million a year for a parking facility and creating incentives, such as the waiving of development fees for new parking.