No parking at Kitchener Market? Staff make proposal for extra space
Market staff want to displace existing vendor parking to provide more spots for customers
Marketgoers who wake up early every Saturday to head to the Kitchener Market are often frustrated by the lack of parking in the P2 garage on Cedar Street, but staff at the market have a proposal they hope will ease that frustration.
On Monday night, market staff presented a report and proposal to city council to address this problem. The report recommends displacing existing vendor parking in the P2 garage, subsidizing offsite parking for customers and charging vendors a small fee every Saturday for their parking spot.
Eric Rumble, the operations supervisor at the market, said vendors hear complaints from their customers every week. In a community survey, 65 per cent of customers who took part in the survey said they were "unsatisfied with the availability of convenient and affordable parking."
"I think it's the decline in parking that's available around the building," said Rumble, referring to the lot on Cameron and Cedar street that's now slated for development.
"Up until a year ago, that empty space was functioning as a parking lot."
Rumble said cost is also a factor, referring to the $2.00 per half hour rate at the Market Square lot.
"People just don't want to pay that amount."
Staff at the Kitchener Market are seeking approval from council on several changes and recommendations:
- Provide a $2 flat rate for customers who park at the Charles-Benton lot between 7 a.m and 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
- Provide a $3 flat rate for vendors and staff who park at the Charles-Benton lot between 4 a.m and 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
- Enable city staff to co-ordinate off-site parking for vendors and staff by signing an agreement with Europro.
- Enable staff to implement a parking fee for vendors using parking Level 1 at the market.
- Enable staff to authorize vendors to use alternative parking outside of the P2 garage, unless they are approved as a "MyPick Verified Farmer."
Rumble said he and his colleagues are trying to alleviate the issue of people working in the building taking up the free parking intended for customers.
"We'll continue to have conversations with our vendors as we go along — as long as we're finding solutions to address that issue, then we're happy," he said.