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6 + WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, November 21, 2007 Upwwn Waterloo is running out of space to develop and surface parking lots are prime locations for new commercial and residential zones, according to a report presented to city council on Monday. But developing these lots will mean a massive restructuring of uptown parking, said Ralph Bond, one of the authors of the consultant‘s report on uptown parking. "The demand for developâ€" ment in the uptown is strong," Bond told council. "With a new school on international goverâ€" nance slated for the Seagram‘s lot, the last easyâ€"toâ€"develop parâ€" cel of land was sold." Flat, undeveloped lots like the parking areas on Caroline Street and Regina Street have become prime locations for new uptown building projects. Parking garage an option for uptown But the loss of these lots will mean compacting and compartâ€" mentalizing the current spaces from being spread out in various small surface lots in pockets of the uptown into centralized multiâ€"level structures, said Doug Robertson, the executive assisâ€" tant to the chief administrative officer. 2300 pestone: "We found that we have 900 By Grec MAacDonaip Chronicle Staff rause ecrs mdul Sex Given this country‘s unprecedented recent growth, we at infinit! Canada ~â€" along with our retailers â€" mmumdhumwmmdm.mlumpdiummmmm.a Guelph Infiniti Serving you for 28 Years 805 Woodlawn Road, Guelph, ON Phone: (519) 822â€"9200 www.guelphinfinitinissan.com « info@guelphinfinitinissan.com * Special purchase credits up to $8,000 on select Infiniti vehicles. * Exceptional lease and finance offers. * 4â€"year, 100,000 km new vehicle coverage with 24â€"hour roadside assistance. * Total ownership experience. * Government tax advantages for trade in. * Visionary Design, Technology, and Performance. excess spaces in the city, even during peak periods," Robertson said. "We‘re overâ€"supplied and take up a lot of room. We need to manage our space effectively and optimize what we have." Multiâ€"level garages are the likely answer, Robertson said. They are easy to disguise and blend into the natural architecâ€" ture of a neighbourhood and are also environmentally friendly as they encourage intensification and can help curb urban sprawl. "If you look at what other municipalities are doing, it‘s really different, Garages are now mixedâ€"use architectural presâ€" ences," he said. The consultant‘s report laid out possible locations for garages in the uptown, with the main candidate being the south parking lot at Waterioo Town Square. "If any new development is to take place in the uptown, a parking garage of significant size will have to be built at the Waterâ€" loo Town Square," Bond said. And while city staff believes that parking garages could revoâ€" lutionize the uptowir core, costs are prohibitive, with facilities costing about $22,000 per parkâ€" ing space. â€"Bond laid out various ways to fund the building of garages, including increased user fees, â€" mt n t m o the it ionep money from capital sales and a cashâ€"inâ€"lieu scheme that allows builders who don‘t wish to proâ€" vide parking on newly develâ€" oped lots to pay the city for parking spots elsewhere. But these measures would only cut the cost of a garage by about 35 per cent, which could leave the city on the hook for more than $10 million for just one garage. That leads to another measâ€" ure for cutting costs: eliminating free parking in the uptown core, but Bond believes that the availâ€" ability of parking will trump citiâ€" zens‘ concerns about paying for parking. "If the city is doing a good job providing enough safe and accessible parking, then people don‘t complain about paying reasonably for it," he said. "They won‘t have a problem with a charge for parking as long as you do it carefully. You can‘t shock them with a huge fee on the first day, you have to have a plan." The next step for city staff will be to commission a full report, Robertson said. He emphasizes that the measures in the report are just suggestions, and the public will have time for input into the final report. _Robertson expects the final report to be ready by February. Threeâ€"yearâ€"old Emily Simmons makes a donation to the local food bank during the annual Santa Claus Parade Saturday. Members of the loca! cadets, like Rushane Lewis, 13, collected the donations that will go to help the annual Christmas hamâ€" per campaign that gets started next week. Lending a hand 208 VABANAC PNOTC