By Damali Nabagereka
Although it’s not expected to be ready for at least another eight months, Sparks Street Mall merchants are eagerly awaiting a new parking lot slated to replace the old Kresge and Woolworths buildings.
Demolition of the controversial buildings is already underway, and a site plan for the parking lot has been approved by city council’s planning and economic development committee.
Progress on the buildings comes after months of heated debate in council over what to do with the property. On Oct. 15, council decided to rezone the property and grant the owners, the Bank of Nova Scotia, a three-year permit to construct an outdoor public parking area.
It is hoped that in that time an interested developer will buy the property from the bank and develop it.
Sparks Street’s merchants overwhelmingly welcome the decision, hoping it will boost their businesses.
“It’s a very positive thing,” says Brad Johnson of Marks and Spencer, which borders the lot.
“The main drawback for downtown is parking. There is not enough of it. So the parking lot will bring people back downtown.”
The existing parking lot on Queen Street, also owned by the bank and operated by Centre Parking, has a capacity of 36 to 41 parking spaces.
Senior project manager for the bank, Stephen CameronSmith, says the new lot will have about 89 spaces — more than double the existing size — and will stretch between Queen and Sparks streets.
It will be landscaped to include an assembly area on the mall for events such as rock concerts and public speaking engagements.
Ken Dale, executive director of the Sparks Street Mall Management Authority, also welcomes the parking lot. He says the site plan allows for a large public sitting area and will open up the street to more sunlight. It will create more fertile ground to expediate future development, he adds.
The Centretown Citizens’ Association, which opposes the new parking lot, says it’s not necessary since there is already enough parking at the World Exchange Plaza on Albert Street.
However, Centre Parking manager David Buelon says there is a real shortage of parking in the area.
Sparks Street Mall customers currently use either the underground parking at the World Exchange Plaza or the outdoor lot at Laurier and Slater streets.
He says the lot will always be full because people who were parking two or three blocks away will now be parking there.
“We operated a small parking lot there and it was always full,” Buelon says.
“On a lot like that you’ll always get a lot of turnover because it’s a high-volume area with many short term parkers.”
Heritage Ottawa tried to save the buildings from demolition by giving them the highest designation under the Ontario Heritage Act. Most merchants, however, are glad the buildings are gone.
“Frankly they were an eyesore and it’s about time they came down,” says Dale.
Buelon agrees.
“That was a death-trap — those buildings,” says Buelon. “They sat there, rat-infested for 10 years and all of a sudden Heritage Ottawa is up in arms over them.”
Although the bank has not found a serious developer yet, CameronSmith says “the demolition of the buildings has made the property a lot more attractive.”