Courtesy City of Moncton
Compared to other Maritime cities, Moncton has a lot more surface parking lots in its downtown core.
For years now, city council has been trying to reduce or at least curb them.
But a developer, Slate Office REIT (owners of the Blue Cross Building), wants to turn the former Co-Op building site at 20 Record Street into a parking lot with 365 spaces.
Councillor Paul Pellerin is strongly against the plan and says this goes against everything the city has talked about in the 11 years he has sat on council.
“So what we’re actually doing is encouraging more people to drive downtown compared to having walking trails and everything else that this council has been supporting. At this time, I will not be supporting it because you can’t suck and blow at the same time.”
Councillor Brian Hicks is also opposed and says he’s shocked this issue is even coming before council.
Hicks says parking lots do nothing for the city and generate little tax revenue compared to an actual development.
But Councillor Greg Turner says the site looks like a wasteland right now and he would support the idea.
“So it’s really an existing parking lot. We’re not sorta inventing something new here. It already exists, it’s just that it has been boarded up, shut up and not been utilized.”
More discussion is likely when a public hearing on the matter is held on May 6th.
