You know which parking lots
Parking lots along Victoria's Inner Harbour have puzzled visitors for decades, the enviable waterfront land paved and left undeveloped by council after council.
But now, the city could finally be taking action with revitalization plans for three key sites: Ship Point, lower Wharf Street and the Belleville terminal (see map).
Tom Mitchell, manager and boat captain at B.C. Whale Tours near the lower Wharf Street parking lot, said the space is ideal for a public market.
"You've got the little market in the summer in Bastion Square, but if you had it down here, you could bring in so many more vendors and farmers," he said.
Turning the space into a park is a bad idea, he said, as it's removed from the street and would be difficult to police at night.
"I'd love to see a ferris wheel," said Mitchell's co-worker, Charlotte Blundell. "Food trucks should be brought down here, too."
Steve Jackson has been operating a waterfront patio and small restaurant, Lido Bistro, beside the lower Wharf Street parking lot, for the past five years.
He said tourists regularly comment how the area is the "most expensive parking lot in the world" for its land value.
"There's just so much under-utilized space there," Jackson said. "Even if they put in underground parking, you'd still have at least 25 feet to put in buildings before you came up to street level."
Jackson said he'd love to see the city install green space on the roof of any new building and extend the public realm from Bastion Square outwards towards the Inner Harbour.
*snip*
The city launches its Harbour Dialogue open house on May 9, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Ship Point. City staff will be on hand to discuss project information and accept ideas for the three sites. Representatives from Tourism Victoria, Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, Downtown Victoria Business Association and the Royal BC Museum will also be available.
http://www.vicnews.c.../257533381.html
http://www.victoria....r-dialogue.html
d'ambrosio has had a plan for that lot next to the wharfside for a while
http://www.fdarc.ca/...aterfronts.php#
I think merrick has one also