Paid parking coming to Ancaster village core

New parking fees and the province’s Harmonized Sales Tax will hit local shoppers with a double whammy of fee increases on July 1.
In a motion approved this week by Hamilton councillors, paid parking will be implemented in Hamilton’s downtown commercial districts, including Wilson Street East in Ancaster, Hamilton’s Locke Street, King Street in Stoney Creek and downtown Waterdown. Parking rates will also be standardized at $1 per hour city-wide.
Ancaster councillor Lloyd Ferguson noted the Ancaster BIA recently passed a resolution asking the city to install parking meters on Wilson Street East. The move was requested to promote turnover of parking spaces. But Ferguson noted some residents are concerned that parking meters won’t fit the heritage theme of the Ancaster village core.
“I’m getting push-back that it will take away from the character of the community,” Ferguson noted.
Despite widespread support from the BIA, not all business owners support the plan. Trevor Graham, owner of Ancaster Cycle, said the village core needs more parking lots, not metered parking. He said he will consider reimbursing his customers for the new parking fees.
“The problem is we don’t have parking,” said Graham. “I just don’t think now is the time to put parking meters in.”
Ancaster shoppers currently enjoy free two-hour on-street parking on Wilson Street. The new parking plan is expected to generate $1.45 million in annual revenue according to a city staff report.
The HST will increase the costs of goods and services such as gasoline, veterinary and legal fees and home utilities. The new 13 per cent tax rate also takes effect on July 1.
City staff plans to use a parking control reserve to finance the initial capital cost of $205,000. Under a proposed revenue sharing arrangement, the city’s 13 business improvement areas, including the Ancaster Heritage Village BIA, are eligible to receive a percentage of profits for initiatives such as beautification of parking lots, walkways or streets with paid parking, funding for free parking events and construction of walkway connections to parking lots.
The 2010 enhancements could generate $285,000 in revenue for the city’s BIAs in 2011, according to a staff report.