The City of New Westminster could demolish part of the Front Street Parkade and still have enough parking to meet local needs.
That's one of the findings of the draft parking study done by Urban Systems Ltd. on behalf of the city. A consulting team has developed short-and long-term parking strategies for downtown New Westminster and has produced a 144-page report for the city's consideration.
A staff report considered by council June 17 stated that downtown households have an average of less than one vehicle per household, compared to the citywide average of 1.2 vehicles per household. The report also stated the downtown has the second highest number of residents who walk, cycle or take transit to work, second only to Vancouver in the Lower Mainland.
Coun. Bill Harper said the report shows New Westminster will have adequate parking in the future, even if a portion of the parkade is demolished. He noted fewer parking spaces will be required in the future because of the proximity to transit.
"When you look at other major urban centres, you are already seeing that," he said.
Coun. Jonathan Cote said the report provides some interesting dialogue and gives the city the analysis it needs to move forward with dealing with the downtown's parking needs. He noted it includes some "preconditions" that would be required for demolition of a portion of the parkade to occur.
The staff report outlined what the city would need to do before a portion of the parkade could be demolished: ensure adequate parking opportunities are located near the west portion of the existing parkade to support the short-and long-term viability of local businesses; establish an effective connection to the waterfront using the opportunity created by the removal of a portion of the parkade; and acquire adequate financial resources for parkade removal and ancillary works, including necessary utility relocations and the provision of new on-street parking on the Front Street frontage road.
Cote said he supports the preconditions but believes the city needs more information in the coming months, as they could be open to interpretation about how long it would take to move forward.
Council approved the parking study's recommendations in principle and directed staff to begin the implementation of key directions related to pricing, zoning bylaw updates and the Front Street Parkade. The report will be distributed for feedback.
Coun. Betty McIntosh said the city would need to ensure the needs of existing businesses that are leasing space on the west end of the parkade are addressed if that portion of the structure is demolished.
In addition to partial removal of the parkade, the short and long-term strategies recommended include: removing free parking areas near SkyTrain stations; extending meter parking to 9 p.m. in the evenings and Sundays; raising on-street rates so off-street parking options are attractive; and introducing time restrictions in the Quayside area to ensure short-term parking is available to area visitors. Other strategies would deal with parking requirements in the zoning bylaw, variances for parking requirements and parking management options.
The draft report will be circulated to members of the stakeholder working group, the Downtown Parking Commission, the Downtown New Westminster Business Improvement Society and the public.
"In the interim period, staff would begin to apply the directions of the study, in particular pricing policies, new zoning bylaw requirements and planning for the future of the Front Street Parkade, including the decommission of the western portion of the structure when the three identified preconditions have been met," stated the report. "A detailed cost breakdown for the parkade decommissioning would be prepared for inclusion in the city's 2014 budget process."
The draft copy of the 144-page Downtown Parking Strategy done by Urban Systems Ltd. is available on the city's website.
