Peterborough city council has endorsed a 12-month pilot program that would offer on-street parking permits in three areas of the city.
At its general committee meeting on Monday night (March 2), council spent almost an hour discussing a report from Blair Nelson, the city’s commissioner of infrastructure, planning and growth management describing the pilot program, which would be used to inform and help design a permanent on-street parking permit program for the city.
Nelson’s report states that, while the need for an on-street parking permit program like that available in other cities has been identified for many years, the city’s application for the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) identified the program as a solution to facilitate new development where there is a lack of space for on-site parking. The HAF requires the city to begin selling permits under the pilot program by the end of March.
To establish the pilot program, the city hired engineering and urban planning consultant CIMA+, which reviewed the city’s available on-street parking infrastructure and recommended three pilot study areas.
“The three pilot study areas capture all five of the current parking zones established within the city’s official plan,” the report states. “The pilot study areas are intended to capture a mix of operational conditions expected to be encountered throughout the city.”
Currently, the city only offers a single $53 monthly pass for the city’s surface parking lots. The pilot program would provide each address in the three pilot study areas with up to 10 free 24-hour permits per year, with each subsequent 24-hour permit costing $20.
The cost for a 48-hour permit would be $35 and the cost for a seven-day permit would be $120. The first monthly permit would cost $50, and $150 for subsequent monthly permits, with six-month permits costing $200 and annual permits costing $250.
Although with providing proof of residency within a pilot study area, permit applicants would also have to provide proof of ownership of the vehicle, and the city would verify that there are no unpaid parking infractions for the vehicle owner.
CIMA+ is recommending the city use its current parking supplier Hot Spot as an online seller of on-street parking permits.
On-street parking permit pilot study areas
During Monday night’s meeting, Town Ward councillor Alex Bierk put forward a motion to extend the northern boundary of pilot program area #1 — which is located in Town Ward and consists of three zones — from Weller Street to McDonnel Street between Monaghan Road and Park Street North, to evaluate parking concerns in the area.
Acting commissioner of infrastructure, planning and growth management Ian Boland noted that the intention of the pilot program areas was to provide additional information for a future program and that the consultant chose the proposed areas based on the evaluation of criteria including available parking.
Councillor Bierk also expressed concern that he didn’t have the opportunity to provide feedback on the pilot program area in Town Ward.
Bierk’s fellow Town Ward councillor Joy Lachica proposed an additional amendment that council have the opportunity to review the initial data of the pilot program before zones are finalized for all three pilot study areas, which was deferred until Bierk’s motion was dealt with.
Councillor Kevin Duguay said a report will come back to council on the results of the pilot program and, in the interests of the city’s HAF application, the pilot program should proceed as presented. He noted that Otonabee Ward does not have a pilot study area.
Councillor Gary Baldwin said extending the pilot study area in Town Ward “I don’t believe is fair” when other wards like Ashburnham Ward do not even have a pilot study area and constituents have expressed an interest.
“I’ve simply told the constituents with whom I have spoken, ‘It’s a pilot. When we get the information back, Ashburnham will be considered at that time,'” he said.
Mayor Jeff Leal noted that the federal government is auditing the HAF program in other municipalities, which have lost funding as a result.
“I’m not sure we can risk losing one dollar of our Housing Accelerator Fund,” the mayor said, before suggesting that the city could address concerns raised by councillor Bierk when evaluating the results of the pilot program.
Bierk’s amendment lost 3-6, with councillors Bierk, Matt Crowley, and Don Vassiliadis voting in favour, and Mayor Leal and councillors Lachica, Andrew Beamer, Kevin Duguay, Gary Baldwin, and Keith Riel voting against. Councillors Dave Haacke and Lesley Parnell were absent from the meeting.
With respect to her motion, councillor Lachica asked Boland whether initial data from the pilot program would come back to council prior to a final report on the program, which he said could be done.
Councillor Duguay questioned the need for Lachica’s amendment as the report already indicated city staff will report back to council with results of the program. She clarified that the amendment was intended to provide feedback to city staff from councillors about parking “hot spots” in their wards.
Councillor Bierk said there would be value in councillors seeing the results of the pilot project and providing feedback before a final report is presented to council.
As chair of the meeting, councillor Beamer asked Boland whether city staff could accept councillor feedback as proposed in Lachica’s amendment.
“Absolutely, and I don’t even know if it needs a motion, but we can certainly organize, perhaps, ward meetings with the ward councillors,” Boland said. “We are looking for that feedback. If you have that feedback, you hear from your constituents, it would be very helpful for us and for the study, so we’d be happy to organize that.”
Councillor Baldwin noted that, since Ashburnham Ward is not included in the pilot program, he would not be able to provide any specific feedback on the program.
Lachica’s amendment passed unanimously with a 9-0 vote.
After further discussion on the main motion, including by Northcrest Ward councillor Beamer who expressed the concerns of his constituents in the Parkland subdivision located in pilot program area #1 because of very narrow streets and on-street parking issues, council voted 7-2 to endorse the report, with councillors Vassiliadis and Beamer voting against it.
Items endorsed by general committee will be considered by city council for final approval on Monday (March 9) when registered delegations will be allowed to speak.
