City offers new parking solution for Granite; curling club says proposal still inadequate

The City of Winnipeg is offering a new parking solution for the Granite Curling Club, aiming to settle a battle over how a housing development will reduce its current spaces.

The club has long feared it could lose 45 of its 80 parking stalls because of a planned 111 residential unit project at 30 Granite Way, which the club says would leave it no longer financially viable.

However, the city says it is now offering changes that would provide a total of 70 dedicated parking spots.

“I think that it’s certainly an adequate parking plan… we feel (will) address their needs. And we wanted to go to the public and show them what we were proposing, so that it was clear,” said Richard Mahé, the city’s land enhancement administrator.

The new parking plan calls to replace a boulevard at North Granite Way with 15 parking spaces, replace a vehicle approach with 11 more stalls, preserve 20 spaces at the existing west parking lot and offer 24 stalls at the east parking lot.

“(The parking spots) wouldn’t be shared with the housing development. The housing development will have some parking for it,” said Mahé.

He said the city has had plenty of dialogue with the curling club about the plan, which would keep stalls close to its facility.

However, the curling club’s secretary said the new parking solution is still inadequate.

“Those (spaces) don’t account for any during construction, which will be at least two seasons. We’ve gone back with the city on suggestions, and we haven’t heard any new updates on that,” said Christian Pierce.

Pierce said there are also concerns some spots may not be solely dedicated for Granite’s use.

“Some would be dedicated, but (the city was) suggesting they’re going to have some street parking. The last we had heard from the city is (those spaces) would not be dedicated to the Granite,” he said.

Pierce said some stalls would also be adjacent to the housing development, making it difficult to ensure they aren’t used by tenants and their guests.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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