Parking tightens up

UPDATE: 11:32 a.m.

City of Vernon real estate manager Brett Bandy says subjects on the sale of the Bennett lot come off today (Thursday).

Bandy confirms the lot sold to The Hamlets in Vernon Residence Inc. for $1.6 million. Tri City Canada Inc. is a partner  in the development of the property.

Parking in downtown Vernon has just become a lot tighter.

The Bennett parking lot on 29th Avenue is no longer available, leaving the downtown core with 90 fewer parking stalls.

A small sign on the pay station says it is closed to the public as of Jan. 7 due to the sale of the lot for an 88-bed seniors complex.

The City has been in negotiations but has made no formal announcement of the property's sale.

Tri-City Canada Inc. of Kamloops has plans to construct a $36.5 million series of buildings in the block, including one 10 storeys high. Phase one is expected to include a building with residential care beds and assisted-living apartments. The project is backed by Interior Health.

“As the City's other main parking lot on 31st Avenue is full, we would encourage you to look at the parkade as a 'snow free' parking option for either monthly or day use parking,” reads the sign from the bylaw department.

The under-utilized parkade has received some attention from council recently, with Coun. Catherine Lord wondering if safety concerns keep people away from the aging structure.

While parking is of prime concern for the Downtown Vernon Association, executive director Lara Konkin believes the pain from the loss of the Bennett lot will be “short term.”

“The redevelopment of the block in terms of the initial parking loss will be a little bit of a struggle but I believe we'll gain that back in a fairly short time,” Konkin says.

Konkin points to the city's plan to demolish a number of buildings along 29th Street this summer and put in parking. “That should give us 60 parking stalls back.”

Plans to make one-way roads out of 28th and 29th avenues in the downtown will also add a few extra spaces, she says.

As well, the DVA welcomes the development of the huge block.

“There will be an increase of residential tenants and employees in the downtown,” says Konkin, who's heard approximately 100 people could be hired for the seniors' block.

Mayor Akbal Mund has stated downtown development is a key goal of Vernon city council this year.