Penticton council to discuss results of survey on expansion of pay parking in the city

Photo: Chelsea Powrie

By 2021, you may have to pay to park anywhere downtown and along the Okanagan and Skaha waterfronts in Penticton.

At this Tuesday's meeting, Penticton city staff are recommending that council support moving forward with a financial analysis on the expansion of metered parking throughout the downtown and waterfronts. The $2 per hour meter parking along the two lakes would be in effect from May 15 to Sept. 15 each year beginning in 2021, reads a report from Blake Laven, city director of development services.

But staff want council to defer a decision on metered parking at the South Okanagan Events Centre complex ‘to a later date when more certainty around the facility is known.’

Should council agree to moving forward, the financial analysis would be presented to council for inclusion in the 2021 budget.

The City estimates a $3.9 million shortfall in revenue in 2020 and a similar or larger shortfall in 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to increasing property taxes, reducing costs and services, and drawing on reserves, the city is looking to increase non-taxation revenue like pay parking.

Expanding pay parking in the downtown and into both waterfront areas could bring in more than $675,000 each year.

At the July 21 meeting, council unanimously agreed to send out a survey to get feedback from the public. Staff created a survey on the platform shapeyourpenticton.ca and also surveyed random people. The survey received one of the highest response rates to date with 1,303 completions, said city staff. 

Also, the city received 758 specific comments about pay parking.

Of those who filled out the survey, 43.4 per cent of the public said the city should find other ways besides pay parking to make up the funding shortfall.

When asked if they were in strong support or strongly opposed, the majority were ‘strongly opposed’ to meter parking in the parks and beaches but less opposed to downtown and the SOEC.

In fact, 67 per cent were strongly opposed to pay parking at the waterfronts. Of those randomly surveyed, 45 per cent were strongly opposed to meter parking on the waterfronts.

Most surveyed agreed with a modest increase to pay parking fees which are currently $1.25 cents an hour.

When asked what was the biggest concern to expanding pay parking, the most popular response (29 per cent) was it would discourage tourism/business. The second highest concern (also 29 per cent) said locals should have free access to parking.

The majority felt a 1.5 per cent property tax increase ($24 more per year) to pay for the shortfall was reasonable.

The survey’s conclusions are that "pay parking continues to be a contentious issue in Penticton as it is in many cities."

The survey shows that there is a difference of opinions of those randomly surveyed and those who chose to fill it out. Those who were chosen randomly showed a higher percentage of agreeing with expanding paid parking than the public survey.

Some on city council have previously expressed their support for expanding pay parking.

"We’ve got to think like a big city, and big cities don’t give free parking downtown," said Coun. Julius Bloomfield at the July 21 meeting when expanding metered parking was first discussed.

"We're losing the opportunity of revenue by not charging for parking," said Coun. Judy Sentes at the time.