The Wilson Street parkade is finally underway.
Delayed a year when no one could be found to build it at the original cost, construction of a the new $20 million parkade on Wilson Street started last week.
The city held an official sod-turning (gravel digging?) ceremony at the location on Thursday, unveiling what the parkade will look like for the first time.
Expected to be completed by the end of summer 2019, it will have 496 parking spaces, council was told last July that 70 per cent of which will be used for monthly parking. That number is apparently being reviewed and a new number will be delivered as part of the master parking plan review, which comes to council for approval in May.
There are an estimated 400 people on a waiting list for downtown monthly parking spots.
It will also include an as-yet to be determined number of electric car charging spots, with the option of adding more down the road. A designated bicycle parking room is also part of the project.
Reconstruction of the Norfolk Street footbridge is also part of the work.
"This is really about economic development in the downtown core," Mayor Cam Guthrie said.
"When I speak to businesses and the Downtown Guelph Business Association, it is something that is hindering the ability to rent spaces, have new businesses come down or help existing businesses to grow.
"This speaks to how council, and myself, put an importance on economic development."
He said that the lengthy waiting list for downtown monthly parking includes many employees of the Co-operators, who will be leaving downtown for a new facility in the south end.
Guthrie also said the parkade will be needed to help compensate for when the Baker Street parking lot is closed as part of that block's redevelopment in the next few years.
"At first you're probably going to see a lot of it taken up by their (The Co-operators) employees, but when they move, that will free up a lot," Guthrie said.
"This is being considered just the beginning of the domino effect of parking. This allows us to then start to look at Baker Street, because if Baker Street is going to be taken out of commission for a few years as its being developed, we're losing that parking as well.
"It all folds into the council-approved parking master plan."
The parkade was supposed to be between 300 and 350 spots at a cost of $12.7 million. Construction was supposed to commence a year ago.
But the city went back to the drawing board when none of the four developers responding to the RFP process could hit the budget target and later voted to expand the size and budget of the project while delaying a parking facility on Neeve Street on hold.
The city has also selected three finalists for the art installation that will be put on the south-facing wall of the structure.
Those three will present their concepts for the project to the selection committee before a winner is chosen.
