Force condo builders to provide parking: Councillor

McKenney says 265 spaces were not included in Little Italy in past years

The city should enforce requirements for visitor parking at proposed condo developments before it considers a stand-alone garage to deal with growing demand for parking in Little Italy, the area’s councillor says.

The city’s transportation committee on Wednesday considered a parking study for Little Italy, including recommendations to deal with high parking demand in the area.

The study noted there is a lack of available on-street parking south of the Queensway and west of Rochester street. There is excessive demand for parking in that area at middays and evenings during the week, as well as on weekends, it said.

East of Rochester Street, however, is under-used. Some of the 11 staff recommendations in the report aim to establish more balance, such as reducing on-street rates in the area of the Booth Street Complex and the city’s lot at 301 Preston Street to encourage people to park there.

It also recommended the city consider, as part of a pending zoning bylaw review, introducing a requirement for car-sharing spaces and making the “unbundling” of parking requirements more accessible for developers.

But with so much intensification occurring in the area, there’s potential for a growing problem.

Fifteen proposed condominium projects are expected in the area covered by the study (bordered by Albert Street to the north, Carling Avenue to the south, Booth and Bell streets to the east and the O-Train corridor to the west).

Little Italy’s population could grow by 63 per cent by 2031.

In recent years, developments were approved in which builders requested parking space reductions; 265 required visitor or commercial spaces weren’t included in new developments approved on Carling Avenue and Norman, Preston and Rochester streets.

That means city staff may have to put a high priority on increasing the parking supply within this area, which could involve the “construction of a new facility or a partnership with a developer,” the report says.

That doesn’t sit well with Somerset ward Coun. Catherine McKenney.

“It seems to me that as we start to eliminate the amount of required visitor parking by the hundreds, we’re going to end up building parking garages for what should have been visitor parking,” McKenney told the committee.

“I would rather make sure that (visitor parking) is in place in new developments before we move to build a new structure.”

McKenney said if there isn’t enough visitor parking, it encroaches on businesses and surrounding neighbourhoods.

She also stressed the need for more bike parking for visitors.

The city is planning to install additional Post & Ring bike racks along Preston, Beech and Rochester and replace damaged racks.