At least one business owner is upset with the town鈥檚 proposal to create a new for-rent parking lot in the industrial area of town, also known as S-Block.
Peter Medig, who has owned a building on Industrial Crescent for decades, appeared before the Planning and Development Advisory Committee on Feb. 16 to object to town CAO Mark Fercho鈥檚 application to turn a stand of pine trees into a space for commercial vehicles.
Fercho argued it would free up space in other commercial lots and on town streets where large industrial vehicles such as RVs are often stored, relieving parking pressure elsewhere in the townsite.
The proposed parking lot would be not-for-profit, with the municipality charging rent only to recoup the cost of designing and building it.
Medig said he was concerned the lot would eventually devolve and begin to appear like most of S block, with large vehicles parked everywhere, blurring the line between the roadway, boulevard and parking space.
鈥淭he S-Block has turned into a dump,鈥� a skeptical Medig told the committee. 鈥淚 think (the new lot) will turn into something that is not being told right now. Doing this would be like dumping trash in your neighbour鈥檚 yard and saying 鈥榦h look how nice everything looks!鈥� I am opposed to having that in front of my building, and to what is going to happen.鈥�
Medig bought his lot in the 1980s and said he was the second developer to build in the industrial park with a focus on attracting tradespeople working from their home garages.
A contractor in attendance for a different matter mentioned he rotates trailers and equipment between worksites in Jasper because of the lack of rental parking spaces.
Medig said today rental equipment and cars for sale are 鈥渟quatting鈥� all over the place, in some cases impeding access to the lot.
鈥淎round the corner is where the problems are,鈥� Medig said. 鈥淭here is no policy whatsoever.鈥�
Fercho mentioned the town is working with the fire department, its own bylaw section and the RCMP on a project aimed at bringing properties in the S-Block into compliance with local ordinances.
Medig charged that inspectors who recently visited the area stopped at ATCO, implying they only inspected the nicer looking part of the Stan Wright Industrial Park.
Fercho replied that the inspectors weren鈥檛 stopped at ATCO, but performed several visits in the fall and would return in the spring.
None of the committee members in attendance had any questions for Fercho. Medig remained unconvinced, wondering aloud whether a fence would be erected to clean up the visual appearance of the lot.
鈥淲e need to think outside the box,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think there could be much better things done with that land than just mowing down a bunch of pine trees.鈥�
Developer seeks more parking
Saw Construction owner Scott Wilson was at the PDAC meeting to speak to his company鈥檚 request for a sixth parking space for each of their new buildings in the 700 block of Patricia Street.聽 Currently each building has room for five spots.
He requested that each stall be 20 centimetres narrower to make room for a sixth vehicle so the buildings could be used as a private home accommodation or type two business in the future (the basements are currently unfinished).
He said the company is in talks with the RCMP to house officers there. Last year the police service announced it would no longer be providing barracks-style accommodation for its employees when it builds its new police detachment beside the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre.
Craig Gilbert
[email protected]
