Council OKs Pelissier Street parking garage conversion

Despite a final round of emotional pleas from residents and business owners, Windsor city council agreed to adda few dozen parking spaces to thePelissierStreet garage at the escalated cost of $723,500.

The move means sidewalk storefront space will finally be converted into 43 parking stalls, which proponents of the plan say will help meet agrowing demand for parking. But critics of the conversion say garages and lots sit half empty on any given day.

• Cost to convertPelissierparking garage skyrockets to $888K

"We don't need parking, we need people," said Kate Isley, who lives across from the garage and gave an emotional argument against the conversion.

She and many others asked council to reverse its decision from late last year to kill the retail space. The issue was once again before council because costs for the project came in far higher than initially anticipated.

When council agreed to the conversion, the estimated cost was pegged at $500,000. The lowest bid for the contract came in at $888,000 and has since been whittled down after negotiations with city staff.

The Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association made another effort to stop council's plan in its tracks. Chairperson LarryHorwitzcriticized the city for not doing a parking needs assessment for the city's core.

• Pelissierparking garage documents come with hefty $14K fee

An inventory of parking spaces in the downtown, conducted by the BIA, estimates there are more than 4,192 within the association's boundaries. Those spots are located in three city garages, two privately owned garages, 11 city parking lots and 15 private parking lots.

"On any given time of day, the municipal garages, municipal and private lots are never at more than 50 per cent occupancy,"Horwitztold council.

Coun. Rino Bortolinmade one more appeal to his colleagues as well, asking councilto restore retail space in the garage. Despite his lengthy justification, council killed his proposal and stuck with their decision, saying they could not find tenants.

"It's been brutal to watch because the efforts have not been there," Bortolin said about the city's efforts to rent the space. "We never even had a sign, we never had a lease. It was never listed on the MLS."