By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: August 31, 2018
Finding a parking spot in downtown Squamish will get that much more difficult next month.
From Saturday, September 15, the parking lot located at the end of Victoria Street, east of Loggers lane will be permanently closed.
It will be permanently closed as part of the development at the Sirocco multi-family development on 38050 Loggers Lane.
According to the district, there is still close to 250, two-hour parking spots available along Cleveland and Second Avenues, and the cross streets between Pemberton Avenue and Victoria Street.
The district has always maintained there is ample parking and if you believe the district, it’s ‘striving’ to ensure that downtown parking is readily available for residents, businesses, and visitors.
Squamish citizens seem to have a different take on the parking situation.
According to a survey conducted by BIA in 2016, as many as 69 per cent of people who responded said there was a significant parking problem in downtown Squamish.
“The trouble spots are the new developments such as the Cornerstone building which lack even handicapped parking. I believe from what I’m hearing, there is underground parking but it’s not enough even for the staff that is working there,” Bianca Peters, the then BIA executive director told the Reporter at that time.
In fact, much of the parking problems in downtown started with good intentions of the council. In 2010, when developer Michael Hutchison brought forward the proposal to develop the old building on Cleveland Avenue, the district saw it as an opportunity to revitalize the downtown.
This commercial building would bring a much-needed boost to the town’s economy, provide for jobs and bring more people into the downtown core. But there was only one issue: parking. District staff was supportive of the variance asked by the developer.
The parking lot that is being taken away was a band-aid solution to a problem that will only keep increasing unless the next council imposes parking requirements that go beyond the present need or build a parkade.
In fact, the district is issuing a Request for Proposals this fall to look into the costs, type and location for a future parkade structure.
Dave Colwell says
Of course there is a parking problem! What is the point of bringing more people into the Downtown area if there is not enough parking. It is always ‘greed for money’…particularly on the part of developers. Many of them, no doubt, have, recently and historically, had some neat little networks with some of our council decision makers…..yes, I could be wrong but I have the right to suggest! We still have long-term rehabilitating land…what’s up with that BTW? In future, don’t allow any developer to build without the provision of adequate parking. This is not what the ‘Court of Variance’ should be about!
Mary Mahaney says
I am a senior with several health issues that make it very difficult to walk any distance and the parking available for my doctors office is usually full leaving me to find alternative parking elsewhere, sometimes a couple of blocks away. It is the same thing when I want to visit the shops downtown. This is a real hardship for me and leaves me no other alternative than to shop at wall mart, save on or drive up to the mall in the highlands. Such a shame as the shops downtown are much nicer, local businesses.
David St Luke says
In the summer months there is NO available parking downtown. For the district to try to hogwash the fact is wrong. O f course if their bylaw division would enforce parking downtown re the people taking up two parking spots that would help. But generally parking downtown is a major problem.
Danusia Bulik says
There is not enough parking downtown especially on Saturday’s Farmer Market. We are lucky to have such a market unfortunately when there is an event at the adjacent park and Cleveland is blocked off for the event… so are the handicap parking. On those occasions I find it very difficult to get to the market.
Leone Braby says
What data is the “district” using to back up their claim? When no parking is available visitors just drive away…why don’t the businesses downtown put pressure on the “district” ? People pass the no parking available rep.on to others suggesting not to bother stopping in downtown Squamish.
Taking surveys with no follow up is just a sop…letting us think something will be done ….with all the developments/ construction going on, the $$$ is there to actually DO something.
Dave Colwell says
In any growing organization, strapped for funds, bureaucracy invariably eclipses communication between departments. Data gets ignored or lost. This is so typical of most Municipal Councils. Ours is no different. Underlings don’t like ‘rocking the boat’ and, so often, remain silent even they know what is going on and what the solutions are.