Huntsville Doppler
PARKING LOTS AND BUDGETS
Huntsville Council has had a busy month so far, if you go by the number of issues they have been faced with and the full agenda they have for this week’s council meeting.
One of these issues is parking at River Mill Park. A proposal was put forward at the General Committee meeting on January 11 to add 12 new parking spaces, intruding even more on the green space in River Mill Park. It appeared on the agenda for information only but, apparently in spite of that, a motion was introduced and it passed with a tie breaker from the Mayor. This is one item I hope will be given sober second thought.
I have a personal interest in this as the creation of River Mill Park during the time I was Mayor was an important part of our Strategic Plan to revitalize our downtown core, which also included the Civic Centre, the Algonquin Theatre and other initiatives. While our Council purchased the old Planing Mill property for the Park and developed a design for it, we were not able to complete it before our term of office ended.
If memory serves me correctly, Scott Aitchison, then a councillor, was Chair of the Planning Committee and he played an important part in the River Mill Park design, which included the provision of adequate parking around the periphery of the Park, but not in it. The next Council, of which neither Scott nor I were members, changed the parking configuration in a manner that, in my view, impinged on available green space and effectively placed the children’s play area, an important part of the Park, between a road and a parking lot. It was their prerogative to do so, but I was disappointed with that particular decision. And now, our current Council is on the verge of eliminating even more green space to provide additional parking.
I am well aware of how important adequate parking space is to our downtown core, especially during our peak tourist season. I also acknowledge that what we have is not enough. I find it somewhat disingenuous if not hypocritical, however, for Council only a few weeks ago to let the developer of the old Dominion Store property on Main Street off the hook when it came to the provision of parking spaces required by our by-law, and then impose new parking spaces on what little green space we have in the core of our community. I understood the rationale behind the Dominion Store decision, but to compensate by infringing even further on the green space in River Mill Park is just plain wrong.
Council will also give final approval to their 2016 Budget this week. Hopefully they will pass it at the same level of increase they approved at their General Committee Meeting earlier this month. They will be under pressure to make changes, especially to restore the $50,000 event marketing grant to the Huntsville/ Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce. There is no question that marketing our community as a prime tourist destination is important. It is equally important to recognize that taxpayer’s pockets are only so deep and sometimes tough choices have to be made.
On the face of it, there is substantial support for tourism events, especially sport tourism in Huntsville, as witnessed by the packed house to discuss this issue at the Active Living Centre last week. Indeed, Huntsville is becoming well known for it. However, the less than stellar turnout at another Town Meeting last week to discuss the condition of our roads should not be construed to mean that Council should put a lesser priority on our municipal infrastructure. For one thing, the cancellation of the full Ironman meant that sports tourism became the flavour of the week. For another, potholes and cracked pavement are not the most scintillating of discussions to venture out for on a cold night.
But make no mistake, any municipality that allows its infrastructure to deteriorate without adequate attention will face serious problems which will have a far more serious effect on their community than anything else and will eventually drive away other important initiatives. The recent Roads Study commissioned by Council outlines serious problems relating to the condition of roads in our municipality. There are far too many of these problems to address at once, but Council has been wise to develop a plan and to treat road maintenance and repairs as the priority in their 2016 budget.
Huntsville and Lake of Bays have been fortunate over a number of years to have a strong Chamber of Commerce and an equally strong business community to support them. The Chamber also continues to receive a substantial grant from the Town and the Lake of Bays.
In the past few years, the Chamber has been struggling, in part because of events they have promoted that, for one reason or another, did not go well. In dealing with difficult budget decisions it is understandable that Council decided not to invest further funds at this time for the Chamber’s marketing efforts. The Town however, has its own marketing and events budget and they need to decide whether they, or the Chamber are best suited to deliver it. To financially support both, would only increase an already heavily burdened budget and that, in my view should not be acceptable.
Jan Jacklin says
Creating a parking lot by destroying a park is ridiculous. They paved paradise and put up a parking lot. Never thought Joni was warning us about this council.
Kathy Kay says
Installing a few more parking spaces in the park that remove part of the park itself seems counter productive. The children’s play area and surrounding lawns are small enough already. The new bandshell seems kind of tight against the parking lot. There isn’t a lot of room and removing green space doesn’t seem super wise. Perhaps there’s some way to improve the configuration of the current paved areas that exist now – down by the dock, behind the stores, wrapped around the current “Chamber of Commerce. I’m not a planning engineer, but the hodge podge of parking behind the retail buildings seems to have potential to be tidied up, all the way from the river to Centre St.
Dana Murdy says
Just a query. How much of the parking is currently taken up daily by those working in businesses on the main street?
Ian McTavish says
I am against reducing the green space in our Park for parking and have contacted my councillor. Make your voice heard.
Kelly Marwick says
Kelly Marwick
My question,and excuse me if I missed the answer over the course of these debates, is what about the old Empire lot?? Could we not utilize this for some parking?
Terry Clarke' says
Great question!! This has been an issue for too long!! The town must soon deal with the Beer Lake parking area! The owner and the town could create a business plan for the development of the area…. not a long walk to main street!!
Marg Wood says
Hugh, We agree with you completely! Using valuable green space in River Mill Park for more parking just does not make sense. Perhaps a muti-tiered parking garage ( behind the Royal Bank?) would be a solution. As well, using Brenadale Square as a large parking lot would be a 100% improvement for that area.
Peter & Marg Wood
Kate Laugesen says
‘Cleaning up’ green space by turning it into a parking lot is very disappointing to imagine doing. Tourists aren’t going to stop coming to Huntsville just because they have to walk a little further from parking spots to get to the main street. The most beautiful towns and cities in the world have plenty of green space, please don’t take ours away as once the tourists are gone for the summer and the excess of parking will be empty is will make for very ugly and sad space that will also need to be winter maintained.
Paul Johnson says
Converting Park Lands into parking isn’t a solution, its short sighted, it short changes the community and degrades the major investment that we have already made in the Rivermill Park!
Has the town done a full study of parking? If it shows that during the tourist season there is not enough downtown parking and during the rest of the year there is lots, why not consider available parking that is under- utilized during the summer.
Nearby school parking lots, the “Beer Lake” parking, and other locations that are under utilized during the summer months should be considered. All such locations could be connected to downtown via “Shuttle Buses” or better still “Shuttle Boats” which, if done properly, could actually enhance the “tourist” experience in Huntsville. And yes, by all means, shuttle the downtown employees to and from their cars rather than having them tying up downtown spaces before the paying customers even arrive.
Lets hope that Council thinks this problem thru rather than bringing the paving equipment to the Park.
Rob Millman says
I applaud the very intelligent comments of Paul Johnson: They highlight what a fulsome discussion of the issue should have produced either at Planning Committee of full Council. Anyone who has attended “Band on the Run” recently, would realize that insufficient greenspace already exists for that popular event. With more forethought, Huntsville could actually have hosted weekend festivals. Maybe with temporary grandstands (and central greenspace) we still can.
Enlarging the park; removing the parking between it and the playground; and replacing the parking elsewhere; would be a preferable solution. (I still feel that the first floor of the old Dominion store development should be a parking lot.
Dianne Adams says
Well said, Paul Johnson and Rob Millman! Our downtown core is looking more like a hodge-podge parking lot as it is every summer and “more” is not the answer in my opinion, especially if you have worked in the downtown core and spent the summer sucking up exhaust fumes in the stores there. If the downtown core was blocked off in summer to pedestrian traffic only, the various lots currently used for parking and the parallel side streets could be used. As well, lots behind the TD Bank, the Chamber, Brendale Square, would suffice. It just might even wake up people to carpool to get there as well for a day of browsing and shopping in a lot cleaner air.
Christine Rivière-Anderson says
I also certainly am against paving more of the green spaces that make downtown Huntsville so attractive. What are we going to offer tourists and year-round residents when prime land near the river amounts to parking lots?
Have we ever considered underground parking so that the cars are out of sight and protected from sun and snow? Wouldn’t that make more sense ? And Beer Lake would definitely be the best spot for it!!! What a disgrace to the town!!
But that’s another debate…
John Rivière-Anderson says
Let’s keep parking out of green spaces, please. I’m with those who would see reconfiguration of all existing parking in the core, and revisiting exemptions for new development. I concur, Terry: the increasing dereliction of the beer lake area, with its emptying commercial space, needs Town pressure to upgrade and share parking. All toward good community image and citizenship.
Tom Stehr says
Well said, Paul Johnson, Rob Millman and Dianne Adams. In my travels around the world working for Air Canada it was clearly evident to me that the most progressive forward thinking cities, towns and small villages try to ADD green space, not gobble it up. Dianne’s point of closing down the core of downtown to vehicles during the warm months is very pedestrian and tourist friendly, certainly a forward thinking idea, bravo to you! If I was forced to retire in a European city I would definitely choose Munich and one of the many reasons is how well that city functions. A large part of Munich’s downtown core is a car-free zone. You should see the hustle, bustle and activity this had created. Stores, cafes and restaurants are all jammed, it’s so interesting sitting outside for a coffee or even having dinner as the world passes you by. People there want to go for a walk. Wouldn’t it be amazing if Huntsville were to be known in the future as a model for innovative small-town planning. It is possible, but it will need some thinking “outside the box”!
Brian Tapley says
A “park” is a park and a “parking lot” is quite a different thing. They are not compatible.
Here are some thoughts.
1- Close that silly little lane way next to A/O to traffic. Make it a pedestrian access only.
2- Only allow vehicles related to the businesses in that area or delivery/drop off vehicles in the lower end of the park area. This will allow less room taken for parking than is now used in this area.
3- take a look at the former Empire block. You know if the town wants to revitalize the downtown they need to add stores, accommodation and parking to this area. I hate to say it because someone is going to feel hurt but if you completely tore down everything right from centre street down to the Hutcheson, Reynolds and Caswell office, (most of this is either very old or already vacant or torn down now) but if you did this and rebuilt here as an integrated entire block with a couple of layers of underground parking, stores on the main floor, offices on the second and nice apartments on the third and fourth…. well it could be something really special. It could revitalize the entire downtown and solve parking issues for a while at least.
Yes, it would cost millions but the return over time might be a good one.
Stuff to think about.
Emmersun Austin says
To further add…the entire parking “lot” in river Mill park should be greened up & it’s not too late to move the new stage to the backside of said lot. Also if the town was real visionary they would minimize completely the paved areas in the park area & only have space for delivery vehicles & minimum vehicle space. We need creative engineers & planners. We need to promote walking & cycling by everyone. Try it next time you “drive” downtown.
The ferry shuttle idea is excellent. Just look at false creek in Vancouver as an excellent example of.
Emmersun Austin says
It’s totally doable to close Main Street to vehicles. That is the progressive move. Not just for a weekend or a day.
Emmersun Austin says
It’s called smart investment in infrastructure, energy & resources to build for the future.
Rob Millman says
Underground, or even first floor parking in a large structure is, at least, a partial solution which I have favoured for quite some time. Seemingly, the Town has already dropped the ball on the A & P property, and Beer Lake was developed on an old landfill site with many of the buildings supported by very deep spread pilings. The only realistic site, therefore, to replace (and increase) the lost parking from Riverside park is the Empire property. Earlier writers have had the foresight to suggest scenarios that would benefit Huntsville for decades: It is most timely with the Feds spending $10B per year in infrastructure for the next three years.
Also, I would like to praise the outside-the-box thinking coming from the Board of Education lately: using off-duty school buses to provide a local bus service, and sharing some of their schools with community groups. In that vein, I would suggest that the off-duty small buses be used as shuttle buses from some of the further-afield parking lots, e.g. uphill from the Community Centre, the school property in the summer, additional parking to be constructed as required.