Parking in Waterloo Region

[rangersfan]

The city of Waterloo has purchased 4 properties to add additional parking Uptown.
Seems like an environmental waste to demo 4 buildings for parking for an area that is well served by transit.

[Viewfromthe42]

The city of Waterloo has purchased 4 properties to add additional parking Uptown.
Seems like an environmental waste to demo 4 buildings for parking for an area that is well served by transit.

Where is this? (Properties and notice of purchase/plan)

[zanate]

The city of Waterloo has purchased 4 properties to add additional parking Uptown.
Seems like an environmental waste to demo 4 buildings for parking for an area that is well served by transit.

It's a good move overall, though. Uptown is still losing parking, net, even though the city is adding this parking lot. Having a plan to replace most of the parking lost to LRT and to the Uptown streetscape project is a big reason (IMO) why the BIA got on board with the streetscape plan.

[Markster]

Yeah, I'd heard about the purchase, but the specifics were still under wraps. I didn't know that there were 4 properties involved. Are there any more specifics?

[zanate]

Yeah, I'd heard about the purchase, but the specifics were still under wraps. I didn't know that there were 4 properties involved.  Are there any more specifics?

"Through negotiations, the city secured the properties at 50 Regina St. and 18 Bridgeport Rd. for $755,000. The property at 28 Bridgeport Rd. also became available for about $1.2 million as well as 22 Bridgeport Rd. for $665,000."

http://www.waterloochronicle.ca/news/cit...th-of-erb/

[Markster]

Thanks.

I always thought that corner could use another large expansive parking lot. One just wasn't enough.

[MidTowner]

It's a positive move on balance in that the buildings at that corner are "just" single-family homes, and there will now exist one big parcel of land with nothing but a parking lot. Redevelopment will happen eventually.

I'm generally not a fan of surface parking, especially when there exists whole city blocks of it. But, in this case, it's not a terrible thing I don't think.

[zanate]

These are the three Bridgeport properties in question. One of them is a burned out husk. Another has a large paved surface lot already. The other, and the Regina St. property around the corner, are otherwise viable SFHs.

https://goo.gl/maps/Thd4e

Obviously there's redevelopment potential. I'd expect it to take quite a while though: it's a fairly attractive site, but any redevelopment would probably have to provide or fund replacement parking again. And then there's that small matter of this site competing with other core locations that have DC incentives...

[BuildingScout]

Downtown businesses will see a marked increase in sales, now with all this extra parking. I hope they are already making plans for in-ground pools at their houses.

[tomh009]

Downtown businesses will see a marked increase in sales, now with all this extra parking. I hope they are already making plans for in-ground pools at their houses.

You need to be careful, I think your sarcasm is dripping!

Seriously, this is less parking than is being lost to the LRT, and less convenient to the King Street businesses, so it's not exactly a windfall for them.

[BuildingScout]

I shop in Uptown all the time. My experience has been that generally parking is not a problem except for the atrium parking lot which is often full. The furthest I have to walk is when I park in the Marsland centre and then I need to walk two blocks to the Princess cinema. Even in the middle of winter this is not a lot.

Lastly, I'm not opposed to the newly created extra parking at all, and I hope a reasonable amount remains available. All I wanted to point out is that merchants blaming their business woes on lack of parking are barking up the wrong tree.

[tomh009]

All I wanted to point out is that merchants blaming their business woes on lack of parking are barking up the wrong tree.

In that case, I do agree with you!

[ookpik]

All I wanted to point out is that merchants blaming their business woes on lack of parking are barking up the wrong tree.

Unfortunately perception (that there is a lack of convenient parking) is a more powerful force for the BIA at city hall than the reality (that there's sufficient parking.)

Then there are people like the late, unlamented report from the Waterloo Chroniclie who wrote a scathing editorial about parking in Uptown because she had to cross a street and walk more than 100m to get from her car to a store. 

Imagine, an able-bodied 20-something had to walk to get her latte fix.  </sarcasm>

[mpd618]

Unfortunately perception (that there is a lack of convenient parking) is a more powerful force for the BIA at city hall than the reality (that there's sufficient parking.)

I think the BIA knows that there's plenty of parking in uptown overall, though not much of that is north of Erb Street - which is what the city is responding to. Individual businesses can feel otherwise, however.

Adding some temporary parking in areas that are planned for redevelopment does not really bother me. Especially if the city follows up and redevelops the surface parking south of Erb sooner rather than later.

[nms]

Ironically, the parking lot is being built on the site of Charles Moogk's home. He was the first Town Engineer responsible among other things for laying the sewer system and giving every house a number for postal service.

The next couple years will be tough for the Uptown as not only is the on-street parking being lost along King Street, but the LRT and other transit won't return to normal service for at least two years.