Demolition work is underway at 3 1 St. James Place, a property in the Durand Neighbourhood near St. Joseph’s Hospital – an area with a parking shortage.
The work being done is a limited demolition permit for the current car garage and the back porch – it is not for a parking lot and a parking lot is not a “as of right use”.
I looked up the permits today.
Zoning Does Not Allow Parking Lot
The property is zoned for single-family residential, is not part of the James Street South commercial district, and any attempt to create a parking lot will require a re-zoning application that will take months to process, will be not be considered a minor zoning change, and will have to be voted upon by the entire Planning Committee.
A parking lot at 3 St. James Place is about as likely as my walking on the moon in two years.
Downtown Surface Parking Lot Ban
The Downtown surface parking lot ban only applies to properties in the area of Wellington-Queen-Hunter-Cannon. It does not cover St. James Place.
Any surfacing parking lot at 3 St. James Place will require a rezoning.
Renting Home Parking Spaces
There is the issue of the demolished garage area potentially being used for parking, and that parking being “rented” to other persons.
Parking is allowed in residential zoning as an ancillary use – the parking is for the residence and not for commercial purposes.
However, many people “rent” parking spots on private property across the City. Think game day at Ivor Wynne for an extreme example of this.
Based upon neighbour complaints, the City will enforce parking regulations on residential property.
The Trees
The trees cut down were on private property. There is no City bylaw preventing the removable of the trees, and they were not City trees.
Only in areas that are considered to be heritage districts is there a blanket ban on removing healthy trees.
What’s Next?
Councillor Farr is meeting with neighbours tonight, he stated.
I’ll monitor for any applications to building for additions to the property.
Note: I incorrectly stated the street address as 3, it is in fact 1. I apologize for my error.