Dear Editor:
Regarding the Front Street Parkade, I must confess to have done a complete flip on this one. Many years ago I hated the parkade; to me it looked like a monument to the ’50s car culture. At the time, I approached Councillor Puchmayr and expressed my dismay that the city seemed to want to preserve something so ugly. He responded by explaining to me that the parkade provided parking that was essential to the business in the city. That business would pack up leave if the parkade ever came down.
I argued that I, as a resident, was as important as a business.
Now a few years later, the parkade has become my friend. I often walk from Fourth Street down to the River Market along the top deck. The view is spectacular. I meet other people who enjoy walking and exercising on the parkade. People encouraged me to open my mind to the possibilities. I did some research, and found some truly beautiful linear parks built on structures like our parkade. High Line Park in New York is one example. A group called Friends of High Line Park formed together and revitalized a raised train trestle. It’s funky, fun and loved by the citizens of New York. It even has a community garden.
High Line Park is much bigger than the parkade, but then New York is much bigger than New West.
City Council has decided the west side of the parkade needs to come down. I have been told that Larco won’t build their three towers unless it does. So, we are given a choice of a funky linear park that ties to Pier Park and allows easy access to the waterfront, or three towers, but not both. Why not both? I believe that Larco would see the benefit to their project of a nearby elevated linear park.
By the way, the cost to the taxpayer to tear down the parkade is $10 million. However, to turn it into a simple linear park is about a quarter of that cost.
A rally is planned for March 20th at noon on the Fourth Street ramp to the Front Street Parkade. Come out and see if your mind can do a 180 like mine did. The parkade can always come down later if that’s what future residents want.
Sharon Kurtz, New Westminster
