Kamloops Downtown Parking - A Looming Issue

As a candidate in the November 2008 elections for Kamloops City Council, I want to raise concerns about parking. Specifically, how the proposed Casino between 5th and 6th Avenue on Lansdowne and the proposed Cactus Jack's bar at the corner of 5th and Lansdowne will affect the Royal Canadian Legion. A member of Kamloops' Legion which is located at 425 Lansdowne has spoken to me about the current parking issue for Legion members and the Legion's difficulty in finding a solution with City Hall.

The added number of people coming to the area is expected to make the problem even worse. I want to make sure that in considering the zoning of the casino and the bar, the Legion, as well as other businesses in the area are not adversely affected. The Legion has already been affected by the recent upgrades to Lansdowne Street, when metered parking was removed between 4th and 5th Avenue on the north side of the street.

The Legion has also asked the city for a handicap or loading zone in front of their building, so that at a minimum their members with mobility issues can be dropped off. The city has turned down their request. They have also not been able to get an agreement with Lansdowne Village Mall that would allow their members to park in their parking lot.

The casino may have up to 1000 patrons attending. The casino plan includes an underground parkade for 220 parking stalls. The Cactus Jack's site is proposed to have a patron capacity of 650 patrons, but has only 12 parking spots.

We need to remember that the site of the proposed casino already has a parking lot of 180 stalls, so the casino will not be adding that many more real spots to the area. It's about fairness. In the past when the Legion asked the city for permission to move to another site with 21 parking spots, their development permit was denied. The city insisted they have 28 parking spots. Now, the Legion members will be facing extreme difficulty finding parking close to their club because of these new developments.

The Royal Canadian Legion, which is a service organization, uses its club to raise money for many community services.

The Legion provides more low-cost housing across Canada than any other agency. In Kamloops, seniors benefit from the Legion apartment on St. Paul. Street. I want to help the Legion find a solution that will allow their members, many of whom use walkers or wheelchairs, to be able to easily access their club.

As a solution to the parking crunch that is anticipated, the city is looking at building a taxpayer funded parkade at 4th and Lorne Avenue.

Expecting seniors with walkers to walk from Lorne is unacceptable to me and the Legion member I spoke with. I also wonder at the fairness of having some businesses having to provide parking while others have parking provided by taxpayer.