A variance to vary the number of parking stalls for the development of a neighborhood pub at 300 Howard Avenue in Nanaimo has been approved, but not all city councilors showed their support for providing less access to parking.
According to the City of Nanaimo’s current city parking bylaw around the neighborhood, pubs require one parking stall for every three seats in a pub, but the new variance would see that change from the current bylaw to one spot for 21 square meters, or 13 stalls being provided for the pub.
Councilor Sheryl Armstrong says she opposed the variance because parking in Nanaimo has become a problem, and the variance is just too great for her to feel comfortable with.
“All the pubs I have been around have at least 20 to 30 cars minimum at any time of day,” she says. “There is no alternative parking anywhere in the neighborhood, and we already receive complaints about this issue.
“For me there are just far too many variances, and too many businesses are already being affected.”
Councilor Janice Perrino says although she supports the variance, she deeply understands concerns in the community around parking and how it will impact.
“I think it will be a fantastic pub, I have no doubt about that,” she says. “My concern is the number of parking places.
“The problem is it’s the neighborhood that has to suffer with the lack of spots, and how residents don’t want to have parking all over.”
Mayor Leonard Krog said in an interview he supported the variance because limiting the amount of parking spots would promote active transportation and reduce the chance of drinking and driving.
“We can’t continue to build everything on the basis of everybody getting a parking spot,” Krog said. “I think the pub will be patronized by local people and you will not have a lot of people driving.
“That is what you want when people are going to a place that serves alcohol.”
Krog said they allowed the variance based on several ideas which would make it accessible to everyone in the neighborhood and throughout the city.
“We agreed to reduce it keeping in mind this is on a bus route, it’s near the university so there are a number of factors at play that make it reasonable,” he says.
Krog says the process to keep the city moving forward is to change how Nanaimo views transportation and how we connect.
“We are in the process of building a modern city,” he says. “In that process we need to change the focus from cars to people.
“People living in that area will now have a nice amenity and I think it is positive for the area.”
The vote was 6 to 2 in favor of the variance with councilors Armstrong and Thorpe voting against it.
