Parksville council hopes to create more parking spots near the Parksville Civic and Technology Centre (PCTC).
Coun. Mark Chandler said he brought the notice of motion forward because there is a shortage of spots and he believes the location will work well for staff parking.
Chandler’s motion directs staff to begin the process to convert a portion of the land behind the building, next to Stanford Place, into formal parking. The motion also involves consideration to relocate or replace memorial plaques and trees affected by the process.
“And therefore not having the staff of our building and people in this area having to move down into other concentrated areas where other people are parking,” he said.
Coun. Marilyn Wilson said she would prefer to have a staff assessment on the issue. She added it could wait until the city’s transportation plan is worked on in 2023.
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Coun. Adam Fras said the parking issue is affecting nearby businesses and council has received emails from people who work downtown and get parking tickets because they have been forced to change where they park.
A similar motion was defeated by council in 2020.
“It’s a motion that needs to be brought forward again because we’re dealing with something that very few cities deal with,” Chandler said. “And that is that city staff in most cities have parking right at their facilities and we don’t.”
Several members of council pointed out city staff are very busy and do not currently have time for additional projects.
Coun. Doug O’Brien said he would rather see the shortage addressed by introducing angle parking to Weld Street, Craig Street and Harrison Street, instead of taking out green space.
Chandler’s motion passed with Wilson, O’Brien and Coun. Teresa Patterson opposed.