What is a downtown parking space worth?
District of Squamish council held a heated debate on the issue during the Tuesday (Nov. 2) council meeting, leading one councillor to decry pulling a figure from the air as "crazy" and the mayor to call an unprecedented 10-minute recess in the middle of debate.
A new downtown commercial development in its final planning phases has led council members to question the current bylaws around downtown parking space standards, which haven't changed since 1990.
According to Squamish's current bylaw, a development such as Bethel Lands Corporation's four-storey proposal for Cleveland Avenue and Victoria Street would require 52 parking stalls and one loading stall.
Staff recommended that parking requirements be adjusted to Vancouver standards, which would bring the project's requirements down to 36 stalls.
Staff then supported the project's request for further reduction - to 11 stalls - and payment in lieu for the missing 25 stalls based on Squamish's 1990 standards of $6,000 per stall.
Two options presented: first, for the developer to pay the district $10,500 annually based on a 25-year lease, and second, for the developer to make a lump sum payment of $150,000.
Every councillor supports the development, but a debate ensued over the monetary value of each stall.
Coun. Corinne Lonsdale was first to voice concern.
"I can support the variance on the number of stalls, but $6,000 in lieu per stall was established in 1990 and I don't think it's representative of what a stall would be worth today. I think it's worth at least double."
Coun. Rob Kirkham was against the suggestion.
"For us to sit here and come up with a number tonight is crazy," he said.
The rest of council agreed, upsetting Lonsdale.
"This troubles me - I don't think it's crazy to say $10,000 [per stall]," she said. "By doing this I think we will be doing the community a disservice."
Lonsdale was also concerned about basing the parking ratio on Vancouver standards.
"We're not Vancouver," she said. "We don't have an advanced public transit system people can rely on."
She said if council was going to compare apples to apples and adjust the parking ratio to Vancouver's standard, then the cash in lieu amount should be in more in line with Vancouver standards, which amounts to $20,000. Coun, Patricia Heintzman agreed.
Coun. Paul Lalli said it didn't seem fair to change the dollar amount on the developer at this point in time and Kirkham agreed.
"I don't want us to come up with a rate off the top of our heads, making it impossible for projects to get underway," said Kirkham.
Mayor Greg Gardner put forward the long-term lease option and Coun. Bryan Raiser seconded it.
Lonsdale denounced the option, saying getting the money up front could help make a downtown parkade happen in less than 25 years
Gardner criticized staff for their lack of pro and con arguments in the staff report and called an unprecedented 10-minute recess, during which time councillors went to and from a backroom.
"This is very much a judgment call we have a situation here where council is actually a little bit troubled. I actually am going to call a 10-minute recess to give us some time to think about this."
When asked afterwards, Gardner said he called the recess "first, to allow council time to pause and consider the issue and the debate. Second, to determine if there was any additional information staff could provide to assist council with our decision."
He said "there was no significant discussion with any of the 'rest of council.'"
Local watchdog Terrill Patterson was not impressed.
"So they get a private in camera session now?" he asked.
After council resumed, Lalli moved to require a lump sum payment, at $6,000 per stall, which Heintzman seconded.
Lonsdale made a last attempt to defer the decision until staff could work with the proponent to come up with different figure, more reflective of market standards.
Heintzman supported the suggestion, asking staff for a more market reflective amount, but Bishop said it would "require more analysis before we would feel comfortable putting a number forward."
Gardner said he supported the $6,000 amount, causing Lonsdale to ammend the motion to request $10,000, which Heintzman seconded.
Raiser said he couldn't support a shot in the dark figure, especially when it had the potential to "put the developer in a hard spot."
Everyone then opposed Lonsdale's $10,000 figure and the motion to support the parking variance at $6,000 per stall for a lump sum of $150,000 passed with only Lonsdale opposed.
Coun. Doug Race was absent for the discussion due to conflict of interest.
