Wednesday, April 27, 2011 NewsLeader A5
Heights parkade to stay closed to public: report Low lease rates to encourage use by area employees, free up street parking By Wanda Chow NEWSLEADER
A Burnaby Heights parkade will remain closed despite the concerns of some area merchants that the closure has hurt business. But city hall is offering parking lease rates of $10 a month to the local business community to encourage its use by employees, to free up street parking for customers. The parkade at 485 MacDonald Ave. was closed temporarily in July 2009 due to concerns about safety, security and nuisance issues. An entry gate and security system were installed and the New Chelsea Society took over management of the adjacent rental
Cash to help SFU get green A new neighbourhood energy utility on Burnaby Mountain will supply enough heat for the entire Simon Fraser University campus and future homes in the UniverCity residential development. And the provincial government is providing $4.7 million to help make it happen, saying in a press release that the project will eliminate 11,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases each year, equivalent to that generated by more than 900 homes. SFU is partnering with SFU Community Trust, Corix Utilities, and BC Hydro on the energy system, which involves a high-efficiency heating plant that uses biomass— recycled wood waste from construction sites that would normally go to landfills—as the primary fuel source.
SEE TO REDUCE ON A18
homes and parkade. As a result, RCMP calls to the facility have been practically eliminated. In November, council approved a proposal to install a new gate to separate the residential and cityowned parking spaces, continue allowing Heights Laser Centre to use several spots at no cost, and lease the remaining spaces to area businesses. The parking would be accessed only by security cards. But in January, Regent Fish Market owner K.J. Eom and Max Kasaei, owner of Heights Meat and Deli, appeared before council to present a petition from Heights merchants opposing the change. Eom said a “sharp and abrupt drop in sales” coincided with the 2009 closure while Kasaei said he’d seen a 25 per cent decline since then.
A city staff report presented to the Community Development Committee recently said 35 area businesses were interviewed by the Heights Merchants Association. Its survey found mixed opinions over whether the parkade should be reopened, but a general concern about a lack of customer parking, especially on the south side of Hastings Street where parking is lost to the HOV lane during the afternoon rush hour. And while city hall proposed the businesses’ employees lease spots in the parkade to free up street parking for customers, leasing costs and security were concerns that affected the desirability of such a plan. The staff report found that time-limited street parking in the area turns over regularly and that on-street
parking is available within a one-block radius during the afternoon rush hour. “The reopening of the parkade to the general public will likely, over time, result in the same safety and security concerns experienced in the past,” the report said. While a security attendant would help address the issues, the ongoing cost would be “significant” and likely have to be covered by city hall. Staff have concluded that leasing spaces to the Heights business community is the “best option at this time.” To make it more attractive to the business community, “staff are prepared to initially lease the parking spaces at a nominal rate of $10/month,” the report said, with parkade usage monitored on an ongoing basis and adjustments made when necessary. wchow@burnabynewsleader.com
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