Finding a parking spot at the Eagle Run dike will be a squeeze for at least one more year.
In a recent letter to council, the co-owner of the Watershed Grill, Brandy Willmot, wrote that the parking situation along Government Road adjacent to the municipal dike and her restaurant is not only scary, but also dangerous for patrons and eagle watchers.
She proposed district officials create a parking lot on the west side of Government Road next to the restaurant. Accompanying her letter were assessments from local business on what it would take to clear and level the area.
"We would like to address this situation immediately, as we see it only getting worse as we go into our busy season," Willmot wrote.
Last month, district workers began upgrading the sewer main that runs parallel to the road. The restaurant faces some tight business weeks as the project rolls forward, Willmot wrote. Shovels hit the ground right in the middle of the restaurant's high season, Willmot wrote, noting that during the construction, the current parking lot will be off limits to the public for up to two weeks.
"When Phase 1 happened three years ago, our business was undisputedly affected," she stated. "We had to lay off employees and cut hours due to an excessive decline in customers."
The parking situation at the eagle dike is on the municipality's radar, said Rod MacLeod, the district's director of engineering. The district's 2014 budget includes cash to upgrade the sewer lift station, which is next to that parking lot. Instead of redoing the lot twice, district officials plan to fix up the parking lot at the same time as completing the pump station work, MacLeod said, noting there might be an opportunity to add some Crown land to enlarge the lot.
The idea of expanding parking on the west side of Government Road isn't practical, MacLeod said.
The issue is a challenging one, Coun. Patricia Heintzman said. Eagle watching at the dike is a major tourism draw and has been neglected for too long, she said.
"We should maximize the parking in the existing parking lot," Heintzman said, noting the Watershed Grill sits on Squamish Nation reserve land and doesn't pay municipal taxes.
Mayor Rob Kirkham suggested district officials consider placing parking to the right of the bike lane, similar to what's in place now on The Boulevard and Tantalus Road.
