Changes coming as City of Thunder Bay moves to make parking authority self-sustaining

Increased parking rates and the closure of some under-utilized lots are coming as the City of Thunder Bay works to make parking self-sustaining.

City council on Monday endorsed the parking authority's new financial plan. However, they made a few changes in the process.

The plan initially called for a number of changes to the city's parking policy:

• An increase in fees for street and parkade parking starting this year, with inflationary increases in subsequent years;
• The closure of five underused parking lots in the city (Camelot, Crooks, Machar, Viscount, and Nesco) by June 1;
• The introduction ofpaid parking at marina parking areas,including the Market Square lot;
• Extending hours for parking enforcement (enforcement will now run from7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday), and
• Developing a no free parking policy, which would be presented to council by March 25, 2024.

However, council made three changes to the proposal.

First, the Crooks lot will remain open. Council also agreed to lower the cost of parking at the Marina from $3 an hour to $2 an hour.

Finally, the increase to parkade fees will be phased-in over two years.

Current River Coun. Andrew Foulds tabled the amendments to keep the Crooks lot open, and phase-in parkade fee increases.

"It was difficult, because if you actually comparewhat it costs to use a parkade in Thunder Bay now ... to most other municipalities, it is extraordinarily cheap to rent [a spot]here," Foulds said. "But these facilities are extraordinarily expensive to run."

"The reason why I brought forward the amendment to phase it in is ...it was a huge increase over one year," he said. "I don't have a problem with the end cost, but because it was such a huge increase, I thought particularly coming out of a pandemic, it might be at least sympathetic to the small business owners to give them a couple of years to be able to plan for those increased costs."

The initial report proposed increasing the monthly rate of just over $50 to $70 in 2024.

Regarding the Crooks lot, Foulds said he tabled that amendment because the city is currently revamping the north core.

"I thought selling that parking lot off while we're in the midst of a reconstruction perhaps didn't really take into account the transition," he said. "I'm not against the selling of the parking lot and re-purposing it."

Kara Pratt, executive director of the Waterfront BIA, said she supports keeping the lot as the reconstruction of the north core will see the elimination of more than 20parking spots on Red River Road.

She also said the BIA was happy to see the parkade fees phased-in.

"We wish it could have been a longer time, because a 45 per centincrease is a significant increase," she said. "But we do understand that the parking authority has been running at a deficit and they should be self-sustaining."

"So there's some understanding in that, but we appreciate the council made the amendment to have it done over two."

Pratt said she also supports the addition of paid parking at the marina; the reduction in hourly fees came via an amendment tabled by Red RiverCoun. Michael Zussino.

"It is currently free, and our business area doesn't get that benefit," she said. "So to make sure that the city is equitable, we didn't disagree with the parking costs there."

The changes will go into effect on June 1.

One outstanding issue is increasing safety at the north core parkade. Pratt said the city has improved lighting and made other changes to that end, and the BIA is working with the city on more improvements.

"It's been a push to make it more active," Pratt said. "That means getting increased usership."

Foulds said an increase in rentals will allow the city to make further changes at the parkade to increase safety. That could include, he said, installing motion lights, public art, brighter surfaces, or periodic security patrols.

The city will review the changes in two years to determine if the forecasts included in the financial plan were accurate.

"If they were, fantastic," he said. "If not, how do we calibrate to try to make sure that at the end of the day parking pays for itself and it's sustainable?

"We may have to modify some of the strategic directions, but again, I'm very pleased that it's going to be in two years because for me, that signals that administration is serious."