5619 replies to this topic

[thundergun]

Some of you guys are hilarious. Continually complaining about how the city (and it's workers) mismanage everything they're involved in, and that private business does it better. But now you want the city involved in parking of all things? Private developers will get involved once the money makes sense. Until then, rates will go up and people will react accordingly.

[Cassidy]

AUDIO FILE - Lisa helps talks about downtown parking on CFAX this morning.

This audio file confirms that Helps is absolutely unqualified to fill the position of Mayor, plain and simple.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but people with cars, and the ability to fuel them up and venture into the downtown core are the people with money in their pockets to support local businesses.

 

Helps idea of downtown is a city full of ner' do wells and street people, miscreants and poor locals who she thinks really just need a hug and a warm cup of tea as opposed to a place to park their car so they can do some shopping, or visit an eatery.

 

Taxpayers with cars that need parking HAVE CASH TO SPEND at downtown businesses!

 

Absolutely no doubt in my mind that the majority of Victoria taxpayers will be doing all their future shopping at Mayfair, Hillside, Uptown, and out on the Westshore (at least Mayfair is in Victoria, even though many of the new shops opening up after the reno is completed will be businesses relocated to Mayfair from the downtown core!).

 

I get that Helps wants to force all downtown workers onto busses or bicycles, and that she couldn't care less about cars and drivers the rest of the time ... but the simplicity of that line of thinking only betrays the simplicity of how the mayor of the City of Victoria thinks.

[Cassidy]

Some of you guys are hilarious. Continually complaining about how the city (and it's workers) mismanage everything they're involved in, and that private business does it better. But now you want the city involved in parking of all things? Private developers will get involved once the money makes sense. Until then, rates will go up and people will react accordingly.

Have you been downtown lately?

 

Entire city blocks are devoid of street level business, or so packed with street folks that no business dare operate anywhere near, and no pedestrian dare walk down the sidewalk.

Downtown is not healthy currently, and shuffling off drivers and their cars to the malls isn't going to do anything but speed that downward spiral up.

 

Parking isn't about making a business case, it's about making sure the the requisite number of parking spaces are available at an affordable cost to each and every driver who is contemplating venturing downtown in order to spend their money at a downtown place of business.

 

Making downtown parking all about the private sector moving in only when they see an opportunity to make a profit is exactly what a city council not doing their job looks like.

 

The city has already built four HUGE parkades downtown ... so tell me why - suddenly - it's no longer their responsibility to provide parking spaces now that 1500 spaces have simply vanished?

[VicHockeyFan]

Some of you guys are hilarious. Continually complaining about how the city (and it's workers) mismanage everything they're involved in, and that private business does it better. But now you want the city involved in parking of all things? Private developers will get involved once the money makes sense. Until then, rates will go up and people will react accordingly.

 

I previously stated that the private sector may move in as soon as the City shows them what zoning permits "parkade use".  But they can't do it when the City has fuzzy logic like ignoring their 2007 parking strategy re Sunday fees.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 12 October 2017 - 05:20 PM.

[legaN]

Some of you guys are hilarious. Continually complaining about how the city (and it's workers) mismanage everything they're involved in, and that private business does it better. But now you want the city involved in parking of all things? Private developers will get involved once the money makes sense. Until then, rates will go up and people will react accordingly.

The hypocrisy on this thread is outstanding.

[manuel]

The angry taxpayer rhetoric. Fun.

Today downtown I saw vibrant businesses, lots of people walking, tons of beautiful construction cranes and yes, street people. Scary city life. At least I don't have to fear guns.

All is well, and all is well.

[aastra]

 

At least I don't have to fear guns.

 

So you weren't driving a car near 844 Johnson?*

 

*I kid. It helps take the edge off.

[On the Level]

So I am glad Helps is all of a sudden all about the free market.  We can shut down BC Transit and sell off all of the buses, and the free market will provide.  We can forget about all of this housing and renter babble and let the free market provide.  Bike lanes!.....someone can build those and charge a toll....no cost to taxpayers!  Libraries, Bridges etc....

[aastra]

So exactly where would this dream parkade fit, anyway? The arena block seems like a decent site if the new pool happens as they're planning, but would a parkade there have much effect at all on the parking situation downtown, especially re: folks who want to park in order to shop/eat/recreate?

[On the Level]

So exactly where would this dream parkade fit, anyway? 

So much for city planning....  Managing a city once crisis at a time...

 

Of course she is going to make some sort of silly "free market" statement.  What else is the alternative?  "We screwed up and had no idea we were creating a problem."

Edited by On the Level, 12 October 2017 - 06:20 PM.

[VicHockeyFan]

So exactly where would this dream parkade fit, anyway? The arena block seems like a decent site if the new pool happens as they're planning, but would a parkade there have much effect at all on the parking situation downtown, especially re: folks who want to park in order to shop/eat/recreate?

 

Let's find out how many CoV employees enjoy free parking on the taxpayer dollar, and they can be the first to move their cars to the new parkade at the arena.

[sdwright.vic]

Parking provided for by any employee would be a taxable benefit.

[On the Level]

Parking provided for by any employee would be a taxable benefit.

Correct....I pay taxes on mine.  That is of course only the tax portion.....the company picks up the remainder.  For city employees, it's the taxpayer that picks up most of it.

[VicHockeyFan]

Parking provided for by any employee would be a taxable benefit.

 

Absolutely.  But if I give you $175 of free parking, it's not like you pay $175 tax on it and it's a wash.  You just pay tax on the fair value.  So maybe like $65 is your hit.  The $110 is paid (or foregone) by City taxpayers.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 12 October 2017 - 06:41 PM.

[aastra]

I know I like to talk about incentives until I'm blue in the face, but why not outright encourage a large office or commercial development somewhere in exchange for more extensive underground parking than it would otherwise require?

 

Sites that have the potential:

- Gateway Green

- on Blanshard between Pandora and Cormorant
- corner lot beside View Towers

- eventual courthouse redevelopment

- eventual London Drugs redevelopment

 

Methinks even one large facility comparable to the one between Broughton and Courtney would feed the proverbial beast for quite a while.

[VicHockeyFan]

Is London Drugs up for redevelopment?   The new Shoppers might kick some butt.

[aastra]

I'm just saying it will happen eventually and when it does you know it will be a much bigger thing than what's currently there.

[aastra]

And it's a good site for extensive underground parking instead of the limited amount that's currently there.

[aastra]

Those points could have been combined into one post instead of the two posts that are currently there.

[On the Level]

This reminds me of the over simplified decision to kill off the Northern BC Ferry route a few years ago.  If all you want to focus on is the cost to taxpayers per trip, it made perfect sense.  If you then added lost provincial revenue, it was being penny wise and pound foolish.  

 

Will the city lose overall revenue if the newly added residential units not offset potential losses in commercial property taxes rates?  If you restrict ~300K people access to businesses, can you make that up by the 2000 people that have moved to Victoria?

 

From the chamber of commerce;

 

"In the City of Victoria, for example, the 2016 mill rates were 6.8297 for residential and 21.4646 for commercial, for a ratio of 1 to 3.1. That means in 2016, a Victoria resident would have paid $3,737 in property taxes (before any grants) on a residence valued at $547,200, while a business would have paid $11,745 on a commercial property of the same value."

 

With all of the negativity towards "subsidizing single occupancy vehicles"...at what cost?  Will taxes end up higher?