Lakeshore Advance, 2013-04-24, Page 7Wednesday, April 24, 2013 • Lakeshore Advance 7
Cash in lieu parks at council table yet again
Lynda Hillman-Rapley
Lakeshore Advance
Cash in lieu has again conte to the
forefront for Lambton Shores council.
Since February 2011, when this new
council approved the waiving of cash
in lieu for Brad Oke's downtown prop-
erty, there have been many reports
and many challenges. An age- old
problem in Grand Bend has been
parking- or the lack of.
Cash in lieu was designed to pay for
the parking lots the town would buy
since there was not enough parking
for customers in front of area busi-
nesses. In Grand Bend the cost is
$1,000 per space and in Forest it is
$200 per space. The reason given for
the discrepancy in amounts is that it
would cost less in Forest to buy land
for a parking lot than it would (;rand
Bend. For many years businesses have
been paying this.
When Oke came to council in Feb-
ruary, mayor Bill Weber said if they
allowed Oke to have his $32,000
waived, "there would he phone calls
with complaints." And that is what
happened. Both F.1.N.E. A restaurant
and the Schoolhouse set correspond-
ence because they had both been
required to pay the cash in lieu.
Downtown Grand Bend business
owner Matt Relouw came to council
April 8th asking to have the $10,000
cash in lieu waived. Ile was denied
that request and says he will appeal.
Relouw owns 14 Main Street in
Grand Bend, and carate to council to
request that they waive the cash -in -
lieu of parking payment required as a
condition imposed by the Committee
of Adjustment on approval of Variance
Application. "they had waived 29 Ntain
Street in 2011 and wanted the sane
courtesy.
The recommendation from staff
though was that council confirm its
policy respecting the requirement for
the payment of "Cash in Lieu", and
that Relou v's request to waive the
cash -in -lieu of parking payment he
denied as it does not comply with the
municipal policy, and that the owhet
be offered the option to enter into an
agreement with the Municipality to
allow the cash in lieu of parking to he
paid in monthly installments over
three years.
ii
Cash in lieu was designed
to pay for the parking lots
the town would buy since
there was not enough
parking for customers in
front of area businesses
Itl'l111IW wII5 1'e'gtlile't1 t11 apply fur a
variance from the provisions of %on
ing By-law 1 of 2003 as it affects his
property at 14 Main Street, West in
Grand Bend, to allow a new restaurant
with a 48m2 of 11001area accessible to
the public to he located within his
building. 'the space in which the res
taurant is proposed was previously
occupied by a beauty salon. The cur
rent parking provision in the zoning
by-law would require that the beauty
salon provide 2 parking spaces. The
current proposal to convert the beauty
salon to a restaurant lequiles that 12
parking spaces be provided for the
restaurant.
Catch the Wave!
West Huron Wave Female Hockey Tryoutx
$50 for all 3 Skates at the
Maitland Recreation Centre - Godcrich YM('A
Permission to Skate or Release form required to skate.
Please visit the Wave website at
www.westhuronwave.conl for 010rc information and forms.
Atom
Friday. Ap,til 26
tiiuultluy, April 27
'I' L'stla', .' pi8 .1(1
's.00 - 6:00 pm
4:.((1 • 5: d pm
6:(0 - 7:00 pun
Novice
1:I itlay, Apia 26
6:(X1 -7:18) pm
Saturday. Api11 27
S:.11) - 6:.(1) pm
'l\testhi . Apt 11 .01
1.00 - 11;(X) put
Pee Wee
Finlay. A10i1 26
7:00 - 8:00 pm
tiutultIa. Apt 11 21
6:.11) - 7:.1(1 pm
lrhnl aluy. May 2
S:.N) (1:10 pin
1114111U111
I'1 itlay. Apt it 2 6
8:18) ');(X) pin
tii1t11tluy. A1t111 2 7
7:.11) 8: 10 1m►
• I.1n11\tlily. 11tuy 2
6:,11) - 7:1(111111
Midget
tiuntlay. A1t111 28
7:0) - 8:111 (till
Wednesday, Mity 1
0:01 • 1(1: 1(11+ut
'10uusthly, May 2
1):1X0 - 111:10 pun
Therefore, 10 additional on
site parking spaces are required
for the restaurant.
Currently, the building is
serviced by 6 on -s11e parking
spaces. '1\vo were applied 10 11)1'
former beauty salon spaces
with the other 4 being allocated
to the other portions of the
building. 'There is little oppm.
trinity to introduce parking on
the site due to its small sire.
(:ash in lieu has been dis
cussed extensively since this
council came in power in late
2010. Council raised the issue
of charging a payment in lieu of
the provision of on site parking
just prior to the 2010 election.
Al their September 7, 2010
meeting Council passed a
motion that a report be pre-
pared on the issue of Cash -in -
Lieu (C.l.l..) of Parking, and
include details on the rationale
for collecting (:.1.1.., the actual
('o51 to create a spate 1)11(1 fate
options for the various commu-
nity. Currently, the Municipal
ily charges $ 200.00 per parking
space 1n Forest and $
1,000.00 per parking space in
tit and Bend for cash in lieu of
parking. The payment of this
fee is it standard condition
placed in any Committee of
Adjustment variance applica
tion approval for a reduction ill
required parking.
(:11R()N()I.()(:Y
February 22, 2011, Itrad l)ke
appeared helot Council
requesting the cash In lieu of
P81 king pavllll'llt he Waived for
a te5taurant being established
at 29 Main Street, West in Grand
Bend. Council's motion was
the requirement for the pay
!tient of "cash in lieu" of park-
ing for the redevelopment of 29
Main Street, Grand Bend he
waived, with the exception of
the requirements for the resi-
dential portion. At that time
staff was instructed to initi-
ate an amendment to the Zon-
ing By-law (2003) to explore
cash in lieu of parking
options for commercial areas in
Larllhton Shores.
'!hen in March of 2011 corn,
spondence from Lerners, Bar-
risters & Solicitors, for
A Restaurant, 42 Ontario Street,
(rand Bend and Correspond-
ence from SaskiaTurner, Owner
of the Schoolhouse Restaurant
- Re: ('ash in Lieu of Parking
cam to council. '1'he corre-
spondence dealt with issues
referred to in a recent Council
decision pertaining to the
exemption to the „cash in lieu"
of parking requirements for 29
R1ain Street, West. As a
public meeting was to he
held in the near future to dis-
cuss a proposed zone amend-
ment respecting changes to the
(;ash 1n Lieu of Parking require-
ments, it was recommended
that the letter's he referred to
this meeting, and the authors
be so advised. Council's motion
was that the correspondence
received from Lei ners 011 behalf
of I,LN.1.. Restaurant and Sas-
Lia Turner on behalf of School
house Restaurant respecting
(.11511 in -Lieu of Parking
be received and referred to
the public meeting at which
the municipal wide zoning by-
law amendment for (;ash -in -
lieu of parking will be dis-
cussed. That same month,
council asked that staff prepare
a report on the specific's regard-
ing Council's policy on cash in
lieu of parking. In April 2012
another (;asst in Lieu report was
presented to council outlining a
number of possible options for
Council for cash -in -lieu
of parking and recommending
that prior to Council making
a decision affecting the future
application of cash -in • lieu
of parking fees, it is suggested
that Council have a pub-
lic meeting to solicit public
comments. Council's motion
was that prior to any decision
on the option of dealing with
cash in lieu, a public meeting is
held in May of 2012 to
obtain comments on this issue
from Lampton Shores residents
and business Owners. The ad
went into the paper's the week
of May 7-1une 11th.
Ione 4, 21112 a letter from
Diana Simpson of Snlackwater
lack's Tap !louse requested
permission for additional
capacity at the restaurant on
certain dates throughout the
summer, and having the "addi
tionlll cash -in -lieu of parking"
for the additional seating to be
waived. The
Planner ildVlsed
that this requested increase in
the number of patrons for
Smackwater lack's Tap Ilouse
greatly exceeded the rolling
CONTINUED > PAGE 13
VA OFFICE HOURS
The New Office 1lours for
The 1.akcshl)t'c Advance will he as follows...
Wait t3enti
Mondays - Kai» - 4pm
Tuesdays - CLOSED
Wednesdays - 9am - 4pm
Thursdays - 9 am - 4pm
Fridays - 8ani 4pm
58 Ontario St. N., (:rand Bend
P11: 519-238-5383
1'.MAll.:
1akeshute.adva11I'c (u 5(11)111t'dllaca
elore Advanoe