Pitch to keep free parking Burlington businesses want city to scrap approved plan By Christine Cox The Hamilton Spectator BURLINGTON (Jul 5, 2006)
Pitch to keep free parking
Burlington businesses want city to scrap approved plan
By Christine Cox
The Hamilton Spectator
BURLINGTON (Jul 5, 2006)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Downtown business owners have come up with ways to preserve free parking downtown without a loss of revenue to the city.
Burlington council wanted to phase out free parking to save money, but the Burlington Downtown Business Association (BDBA) says its plan will have the same effect on the budget while still allowing shoppers to park at no cost.
The BDBA says it can contribute $12,000 to subsidize Saturday free parking, something it has done in the past. It also suggests installing 36 parking meters on Brock Avenue and Nelson Avenue from Lakeshore Road to Elgin Street this year instead of in 2007. Brant Street would still have free parking.
The association plan would also see fees at parking meters go up by 25 cents an hour to 75 cents, instead of going up a dime to 60 cents as the city had proposed.
Altogether, the business group says its plan would provide the city with $750 more than Burlington would have saved by scrapping free parking.
The latter plan, already approved by council, would get rid of free Saturday parking at meters and remove all-week free parking on Brant Street. The city also wanted to gradually remove free parking at municipal surface lots, starting in 2007. That prompted an outcry by downtown merchants who feared the changes would drive away shoppers.
A new staff report, including the BDBA proposal, goes to the community and corporate services committee tonight.
Brian Dean, BDBA general manager, said the association thinks its proposal is equitable. The membership would contribute funds and some customers would pay higher rates.
But Dean, who also chairs the downtown parking committee, stressed that the proposal is "a Band-Aid" solution. It allows the city to balance its books this year but would not be sustainable in the long-term.
The BDBA proposes retaining a facilitator for one or two strategy sessions in September. The goal is to review council's 2006-2015 downtown parking financial plan and explore alternative funding.
ccox@thespec.com
905-526-3323