Victoria city councillors might have put themselves in an untenable situation by insisting that the new Crystal Pool, including parking, should result in no net loss of green space.
The original design called for 107 parking stalls in a new lot immediately north of the new facility in Central Park, which would reduce green space by about seven per cent. Consultants say 140 spaces will be needed.
Councillors decided in July that green space shouldn’t be sacrificed for parking. So city staff came up with a distributed parking approach: a 20-stall surface lot in Central Park, expanding parking capacity on adjacent Queens and Pembroke streets, and providing pool users access to parking lots at Royal Athletic Park and Save-on Foods Memorial Centre.
Pushing parking onto nearby streets is not the answer. It would be nice if everyone could travel by foot, bicycle or bus, but reality dictates that the majority of people, especially those with families, still need their cars. Busy parents trying to bring their kids to the new complex shouldn’t have to mill about in search of on-street parking. It would create chaos, and would be unfair to people who live in the neighbourhood.
To the credit of city staff, they are also recommending councillors fund a study on the feasibility of building an underground parking facility that could be topped with greenery, thereby reducing the impact on green space.
Finding solutions to the parking conundrum is a challenge, but the idea of creating underground parking where the current pool sits deserves a serious look. After all, the hole in the ground is already there.
