Centre Wellington will get more parking at Hoffer Park here, but no trees will be lost because of it.
On June 22 township councillors approved the proposal made by managing director of infrastructure services Colin Baker.
The intent is to pave the laneway officially designated as Margaret Street.
The additional work will cost $30,000 and be funded from the cash in lieu of parking reserve.
In the 2015 capital budget council approved an asphalt resurfacing program called pavement management. One of the segments of road to be resurfaced in 2015 under this new program is the Margaret Street laneway in Elora.
The laneway is located immediately west of the township municipal office at 1 MacDonald Square and on the north side of Hoffer Park in Elora.
The laneway is currently one-way and allows for 16 parking spaces (nine angle and seven parallel parking spaces).
Baker stated that earlier this spring, staff completed a legal survey of the Margaret Street road allowance and a layout plan for the parking lot.
“It turns out we can fit some additional parking back there.”
Baker said that based on the legal survey and a revised parking lot layout plan completed by Triton Engineering, an additional eight parking spaces can be obtained within the existing Margaret Street road allowance, bringing the total number of spaces to 24.
The additional parking would be gained by paving a wider section of road through the parallel parking section, creating narrower egress from Margaret Street to James Street, and extending the existing angle parking further west to James Street.
Baker stressed the parking area expansion will not affect Hoffer Park including the existing mature trees or the celebration trees planted last October.
The existing horse and buggy tie-up area will also not be impacted.
The additional parking spaces will be available to downtown Elora patrons, Hoffer and Victoria Park visitors, tourists, business owners and their employees.
Baker suggested that with the future opening of the Elora Mill, “these new eight downtown Elora parking spaces will be a welcome addition to the downtown.”
Mayor Kelly Linton commented the parking would also be available for the overflow from nearby Victoria Park.
“It gets pretty busy on the weekends,” said Linton.
Baker agreed the extra spaces would assist for both weekend and tourist parking, noting that, “It is a well used parking lot.”
Council subsequently approved the addition to the Margaret Street parking project.
