Customers at Bridgehead’s new roastery on Preston Street in Little Italy will have to make other parking arrangements if they decide to drive to the coffee shop.
The building under construction at 130 Anderson St. will feature a warehouse, training facility, and support centre, in addition to a coffee shop. The expansions mean there won't be enough room to provide the 11 customer parking spots required by the city.
But under a deal being negotiated between Bridgehead and city planners, the company is expected to make infrastructure improvements at the site instead of paying the full cash-in-lieu-of-parkingfee normally required to make up for the lack of parking spaces.
A Jan. 6 report says the city’s planning committee is entitled to order $35,530 from Bridgehead, which would exempt the company from providing the parking spots.
Bridgehead applied to have the fee waived since it proposed to resurface the sidewalk outside the building, add trees with tree grates and add integrated bicycle racks, which would cost about $35,000.
It would also install new separate storm and sanitary sewers at an estimated cost of $25,000.
The application process will take 14 weeks and involves Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes, the Dalhousie Community Association, and the Preston Street BIA.
Bridgehead declined to comment on the proposal.
Lori Mellor, executive director of the Preston Street BIA, says the facility will be a fantastic addition, but is worried about parking.
“The lack of parking is definitely going to be problematic in an area that already has parking issues."
She says the city discourages new developments from providing parking spots, making the situation worse.
Hayley Dobson, who worked at the Preston Bar and Grill, says she used to hear complaints.
“If people don’t have a place to park and they don’t want to pay for parking on top of their meal they will probably use a different location,” she says.
If the plan is approved, Bridgehead will use the money saved on parking fees toward streetscape improvements or else the $35,000 fee will have to be paid to improve or provide municipal parking facilities. A decision is expected later this month.