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Study suggests parking demand on Harrison waterfront to nearly double

Ongoing parking study to be compiled, presented before council
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The parking survey results are in.

A handful of Harrison Hot Springs residents tuned in to the Zoom meeting hosted by village officials to go over the most recent results from an ongoing parking master plan study from the IBI Group.

The purpose of the study is to identify and address present and future parking issues. In addition to the attendees of the first information session in September, 110 locals responded to an 18-question parking plan survey that closed earlier this month. IBI said the public engagement was “very high” for this first phase of the study.

RELATED: Harrison Parking Plan virtual open house on tap

A number of suggestions arose from the survey and information meetings. One of the main issues was tourist traffic spilling into residential neighbourhoods during peak tourism season; residents particularly highlighted issues on Eagle Street, Echo Avenue and Miami River Drive. On top of that, increase in parking demand due to private developments has cut into the current public municipal supply. residents also pointed out parking spaces at the boat launch does not meet demands during peak tourism season.

Respondents suggested expanding the current three-hour parking limit during peak season to four hours while creating some parking spaces with 20-minute limits. They also believed a residential parking permit program would create less headaches for those who live in the village.

RELATED: Steps toward Harrison parking plan in motion

There are currently 2,384 parking spaces in Harrison Hot Springs, 110 of which are off-street. On the waterfront, there are 626. Unsurprisingly, the waterfront area is at capacity during peak weekends, the demand of which IBI Group believes will only continue to increase. Researchers projected the demand will reach 75 per cent more than it is right now, putting it over capacity and causing more spillover into the rest of the village’s parking system.

IBI determined in order to meet demand, between 350 and 600 parking spaces would be needed in the waterfront area to meet demand. Recommended strategies include integrating public parking into new developments, collecting parking demand data every two years and expanding transit and active transportation networks.

In terms of future parking regulations, IBI suggests restricting to one-side parking along streets with no sidewalks and a narrow right-of-way, including such examples as Pine Avenue, McCombs Road and Hope Place.

Now that the second public information session has concluded, the next steps include incorporating the results and recommendations into the final report to present it before Village Council.

Harrison Hot Springs Village Council meets next on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. at Memorial Hall.