Free parking at Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market scrapped, city may use revenue for area improvements

The city is considering a plan to use revenue from an Old Strathcona parking lot to fund improvements for the area.

Edmonton’s urban planning committee has asked city administration explore ways to reinvest parking revenue into areas in which they are generated.

The move comes with the city set to take over a parking lot in Old Strathcona that has been used by the adjacent farmers market the last 40 years.

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The Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market had provided free two-hour parking at the lot on Saturdays, the lone day the market operates. The city takes over the lot on April 6 after the farmers’ market’s lease on the lot ends.

Stakeholders representing businesses in the area told the committee on Tuesday they would like to see the creation of parking benefits districts, with revenue reinvested into improving aging infrastructure and amenities such as sidewalks, secure bicycle parking, benches, lighting and public art.

“Research indicates that when users can clearly see where their parking fees are being utilized with real, tangible results, they’re more likely to support those parking prices to help manage the demand,” Cherie Klassen, the executive director of the Old Strathcona Business Association, told the committee.

Committee member Andrew Knack said considering the city’s next budget won’t have money for giant projects, smaller ones such as this could be feasible.

“In particular because of this lot and the fact that we’re charging folks to now show up on Saturday for the farmers’ market, maybe that can help them alleviate some of that pain and say, ‘Hey, we’re trying something out here. Your money is going to go to further improvements for this area,’ and if it works, I would like to see it expanded citywide,” Knack, the councillor for west-end Ward Nakota Isga, said Tuesday.

The committee passed a motion unanimously to have city administration look into the benefits of parking benefits districts and report back in a year.