Yellowknife doesn’t need a parkade a committee of council heard from city staff, Nov. 15.
City staff presented the results of a feasibility study to the Nov. 15 meeting of the Governance and Priorities Committee that found no need for a new parking facility.
The study found that there are 4,600 parking spaces in downtown Yellowknife and a further 900 in the surrounding area. During peak hours, 69 per cent of the downtown spaces are occupied.
“I hope we can finally put the parking shortage myth to bed in Yellowknife,” said Yellowknife Coun. Julian Morse. “Once we put those eight-hour metres in place, it is very easy to find [parking] in any given place.”
“Try parking in Victoria, B.C. and come back and complain to me about Yellowknife,” he said.
The proposed parking facility would add between 180 and 200 spaces across four to six storeys and cost between $11 and $16 million. However, the study concluded that building a new parkade would not be in line with the city’s commitment to
Although the $26,000 study found the new parkade was unnecessary, Mayor Rebecca Alty said it was still worthwhile. “I think it does have a lot of good information for us to consider, particularly for the zoning bylaw,” she said.