CNV to restrict parking in Harbourside area

Starting late June, City of North Vancouver will restrict parking to four hours in the Harbourside area.

CNV plans to apply the parking changes to all unrestricted blocks, a move the city says will increase on-street parking by increasing turnover and encouraging the use of the off-street parking supply.

The decision is first step in a plan that council approved in 2016. The parking changes were planned because city anticipated re-development of Harbourside Lands, especially the Concert properties development.

Those developments haven’t proceeded as expected, but that isn’t stopping the city from implementing parking regulations it planned three years ago.

As part of that 2016 plan, CNV will slowly transition Harbourside from unrestricted parking to time-restricted, then a combination of time-restricted and pay parking, and then pay parking. The four-hour parking restriction is the first step. As development happens in the area, the city will introduce paid parking on select blocks.

Additional pay parking may be considered by the City based on parking demand which will be monitored on an ongoing basis.

The parking restrictions introduced in June will lead to quick turnover and reduce emissions caused by circling, and other safety issues caused by frustrated drivers looking for a spot, according to the city.

“As this area continues to grow and develop, more curbside management tools will be introduced to ensure curb-space is most effectively used and meets the City’s broader transportation objectives,” according to staff.

The Harbourside area (Harbourside) encompasses the area from Mackay Creek to Bewicke Avenue, from the rail line to the waterfront.

According to the 2016 CNV staff report, there were 410 on-street parking stalls within Harbourside, of which 138 are in the Auto Mall area, and 272 in the rest of the area. In 2015, staff conducted an on and off-street parking survey and found that on-street parking is almost fully occupied throughout the workday, with the busiest period during mid-day.

In regards to off-street parking, since 2013, the number of off-street parking stalls increased by 230, from 1240 stalls in 2013 to 1470 stalls in 2015, according to the latest such survey conducted by the staff.