Chiropractor Dr. Mike Bos has asked the city to consider adding another municipal parking facility downtown.
He recently renovated the old Movie Gallery building at 232 Third Avenue North for his business and says with the proposed Spruce Lee Construction Ltd. development for the corner north end of the block, parking needs will increase.
“Looking around the city with open eyes we see that there are many municipal parking facilities throughout the downtown core. Maybe it’s our turn.
“We have petitioned the local businesses, ranging from TNG, Sears, Fabric Land, and Cariboo Friendship Society,” Bos told council at its Oct. 9 regular meeting.
His business alone is adding a volume of up 120 patients a day, and next door a recently-added real estate office is also substantially increasing the traffic flow.
“I’d like to ask the city to put its money where its mouth is. You want us to better the community and the downtown core. I’ve invested $600,000. We don’t have the capacity to create anything larger for parking on our lot,” Bos said.
While he was at the council meeting to speak in a favour of the Spruce Lee Development during a public hearing, Bos seized the opportunity to draw attention to the parking issue.
He told council if a parking lot was created in the empty lot behind his building next to the Tsilhqot’in National Government office, it would improve the look of the area and ease overflow parking.
“It’s very unpleasant, it’s not maintained. It’s an area for less than desired activity,” he said of the empty lot. “If it were maintained as a municipal parking lot it would probably be less attractive to less-than-desirable activity.”
The parking lot could also used by Kiwanis Park users, he suggested.
“Right now people with young families have to park across the street. It could also act as overflow parking throughout the entire year for the recreation complex, graduation, grad parades: all that parking overflows onto Proctor Street.”
In its development design, Spruce Lee Construction Ltd. proposed a commercial building containing two units for office or retail, plus a total of 72 parking spaces.
Bos, however, suggests the parking lot will be used up by people working at or visiting the site.
Council received a petition about the parking lot proposal from Bos and has referred it to staff for a future Committee of the Whole discussion.