Lower Lonsdale businesses slam CNV’s paid parking plan

Local business owners voiced opposition to the City of North Vancouver’s proposed paid parking plan during a council meeting on April 14, warning it could severely impact their ability to operate.

At a council meeting on April 14, council voted 4-3 to approve a plan to bring paid parking to Lower and Central Lonsdale. Mayor Linda Buchanan and Councillors Angela Girard, Jessica McIlroy and Tony Valente supported the paid parking. Councillors Don Bell, Holly Back and Shervin Shahriari opposed it.

Four business owners from Lower Lonsdale argued that limited parking and increased costs would hurt day-to-day operations and customer service, especially in the Lower Lonsdale and East Esplanade areas.

Steve Niewerth of Rack Stop, a business that installs custom bike racks, said the parking time limits and payment model would complicate logistics and force staff to manage parking instead of serving customers. Customers usually leave their cars for three to four hours for rack installation.  “We will need to pay for that parking if the customer can’t pick up the car within four hours, and we need to park the car in a residential area, if we can find it. We will then have to draw a map explaining where we parked that car,” he said. “We don’t want to be plugging the meter or walking two or more blocks there and back to park a car when it should be answering the phone or installing a bike rack.”

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Dennis Krangle, who owns an automotive shop and commercial building in the area, criticized the city for what he described as poor communication and said the plan would cripple businesses in the area. Krangle said he spoke to every business on the 200 and 300 blocks of Esplanade, and none knew about the pay parking plan. He criticized the city’s claim that the plan had undergone extensive engagement.

“I got a letter from Blair Underhill saying this project had the most comprehensive engagement of any transportation project to date. I don’t know who he spoke to, but it wasn’t us,” he said. “Being a building owner and business owner for the last 29 years, I would have expected somebody to walk around and let us know what’s happening here. The lack of consultation makes it feel like it’s getting jammed down our throats.”

Josh Sepulveda of XTR Building Services echoed concerns over a lack of consultation and said the proposed changes would impose recurring financial burdens on businesses like his, which rely on flexible vehicle access. “We found out about the proposal from another business just last Thursday,” Sepulveda told council. “We have vehicles that break down and take days to repair. Paying for parking every time isn’t sustainable.”

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Paul McAlduff, a service industry veteran 43 years in Lower Lonsdale, said the proposal would discourage quick customer visits and make business unsustainable. “I talked to over 30 North Vancouver residents in the past few days—every one of them was disappointed or disgusted,” said McAlduff. “This parking meter proposal is a business killer.”

Significant community consultation

The City of North Vancouver claims the plan will help address long-standing parking challenges, and there was significant community consultation. In a press release, CNV said the plan was developed through two phases of community engagement, including feedback from residents, businesses, and service providers.

“The result is a forward-looking strategy that aligns with the City’s transportation goals and addresses curb space challenges,” CNV said. “We heard clearly from our community—parking needs to work better,” said Draper. “Whether it’s parents picking up their kids, delivery drivers doing their jobs, customers accessing businesses, or residents trying to park close to their homes, this plan is about making curb space work for everyone.”