Anyone in Tofino will recognize that we have a parking problem in the downtown area. Some time ago , I brought this up with staff. One said that we have a car problem, not a parking problem. This idealogical response was not helpful. Even electric vehicles need a place to park.
In a recent comment I suggested that a parkade could be built by filling in the area by the First Street dock (Whisky Dock) . I realize that this is an expensive proposal but there is a variety of funding sources available. Charging stations for electric vehicles could qualify the project for green initiative grants.
For offshore users , having a designated parking spot would really help. Currently users are parked all the way up First Street, Third Street , Fourth Street and elsewhere around town.
Concerns have been raised about habitat loss from the project but given that many waterfront properties in Tofino have been built on fill without an environmental disaster I think this can be worked around. As nobody will be residing on the site, tsunami concerns are minimal.
Any ideas or comments on this proposal greatly appreciated.
20 comments:
https://www.westerlynews.ca/news/tofino-signs-historic-agreement-with-ahousaht-first-nation/
"Don't it always seem as though you don't know what you got til its gone. They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot". Joni Mitchell, from Big Yellow Taxi
25 years ago the old Tofino Business Assoc suggested this project,Parking on this foreshore, and even offered to fund it. They knew there was a lot of rockwork going on in town and there was need of places to put it. Unfortunately "they didn't know what they were talking about" according to the folks at city hall. These are the same people who said when questioned about why they hadn't gotten back on Meares island to finish the Ginnard Creek reservoir, "I don't believe in storage"
So the idea of creating a filled in foreshore parkade has been around a long time. I have been told that most of the foreshore has a rock base and little "eel grass" but those folks "didn't know what they were talking about" either.
It was later proposed that the same foreshore could be used as a location for a sewage treatment facility. Using more modern technology than large settling ponds. It would have saved a lot of money over the proposed plan where all the sewage currently goes to that location, First st. and would have to be re pumped back through town, to the currently proposed site, behind industrial way, requiring the digging up of half the town and requiring a huge amount of land which Tofino has so much of(sic), and large electrical cost every year for pumping. The fill on the foreshore could be generated by rock work on DL 114 making it more useful for proposed residential development. So take your pick, free rock for fill or free development of lot 114. But those folks"didn't know what they were talking about" either.
It was said that a treatment facility on the foreshore would be ugly and there wasn't enough space. Check out North Van where a new modern sewage treatment facility is being constructed on a few acres a miniscule footprint, with no large ponds required, and housed in a beautiful modern glass building that has been recognised as a spectacular additiion to the community,
An architectural waterfront feature. Perfect for tourists who can take a tour of the new facilities and marvel at the latest technology, state of the art sewage treatment. I am sure those folks in the big city "don't know what they are doing either."
So we end up with nothing. A sewage treatment plan that doesn't exist and we can't afford. No parking. No improvements to lot 114. and a huge parking problem. But what the hell "I don't know what I am talking about either"
To 9:20 "Ya can't stop progress" Battlin' Bill, Muriels Wedding
"If ya don't eat your meat Ya won't get any puddin" The Floyd
OMG 10:23. Council will NEVER be able to wrap their heads around all of this information at the same time. This will overwhelm them for sure. And meanwhile, Bob and Aaron are chomping at the bit, with visions of the huge amounts of work hours this type of project could supply for staff. In any normal community, this type of project could possibly make sense, but not in Tofino. Here, we don't do things the way that other places do things. We're special.
Well first off there needs to be a group of consultants hired to investigate everything which will take two or three years to come up with a number of reasons why it might not be done.
Look, it's up to the first nations to give the OK on this and we already know that they are in favour of convenient parking for many reasons the most important of which is the elders don't have to struggle up the hill.
Asking anybody to be reasonable in this town seems like a fools errand....
This reminds me of what happened in the Nat Park in the last few years.
It started out with replacing the electrical poles along side the highway. It was first thought to go underground, but that was "too expensive: so they went aerial. Then they paved the road, Ok except they followed it up with horizontal drilling for a new sewer line. In many places the boring caused problems with the new paving, buckling and causing humps. would have been better to have done the boring first.
So then they start in on the new path. If they had put the aerial electrical lines underground they could have buried the sewer lines at the same time. Graded the fill and put the path on top. All at considerable overall savings and a superior protected infrastructure.
But no one thought of that. They go month to month, year to year. budget to budget. No apparent coordination or oversight, no big picture plan. Oh! we got money for a path...let's do that..... and we pick up the tab.... soon, no doubt after a good winter blow and prolonged power outage, they will return to the poles. What can we do about those unsightly poles? See if we can get funding to change those. And we will pick up the tab.
It is too simple a solution to the parking problem so it won’t be done. Like the rest of the comments here, there has to be more of a make work project for anything to go forward.
I understood Tom Stere was looking into this but has he gotten any where or is it even a priority. I have not asked. Perhaps if everyone started asking the councillors something might get started..... probably a consultant’s study lol.
there are district staff members who don't want to do anything to help the offshore residents in opitsaht, ahousat, and elsewhere.
you cannot ignore this issue anymore. If you look downtown today you will notice so many tourists driving around looking for non-existent parking spots that gridlock is inevitable. failing to do something soon is malfeasance. being stubborn and pigheaded about the obvious solutions is childish.....we need solutions now or new staff..
The district’s current solution 1:41 is to have those vehicles spread into residential areas.
As you point out, it isn’t working.
Pay parking and Not dealing with offshore parking makes it hard for some downtown businesses to pay rent!
judging from the districts post encouraging residents to support the tribal park alliance because they do - again is stupid virtue signalling - instead of actually doing something with no political value. just goodwill towards our neighbours.........truly an asinine post.
Tribal Park Guardians threatened to block the highway if they didn’t get support ($)
I believe the First Nations own the lot next to House of Himwitsa and the lot that the current Biosphere office is located on (306 an 310 Main St) next to Tofino Sea Kayaking.
They could build their own parkade tomorrow on those 2 lots without having to rezone, apply for a development permit, pay any DCC’s and at the same time solve their parking problems. Following.....
Hesquiaht First Nation has the lot next to Himwitsa.
I believe MaMook , the logging company , owns the other two lots . It would be a good spot for a parkade.
Sorry, First Nation ownership of land in the Dot is not the same as "Reserve" land. All Dot development requirements would be in place. At least until push comes to shove. Please correct me if I am wrong. If true, development proposals could proceed in a couple of decades. After the Tofino bureaucracy has "studied' it.
To 8:40 Lands owned by First Nations within DOT boundaries are subject to all normal planning requirements. Reserve lands are not. Important distinction. Some one please correct me if I am wrong.
Over the last few decades, there are some large parcels of land in Tofino where title was transferrd to First Nations. Parcels in fee simple. There may be some assumptions that these lands are "Reserve Lands" and can be developed as "Reserve Lands." So far that is not the case. This is not to say they cannot be developed. However
The develpment of a significant amount of reserve land within the DOT, with the expectation that normal services will be supplied but, from which normal fees and taxes will not flow, will be an existential threat to the town. This is a big deal
11:17 the provincial government had a scheme that they were going to award the local first nations 5 - 40 acre parcel's over a 5 year period....this was to establish an economic zone for middle beach and housing for the other 2.
The parcel containing middle Beach, the parcel behind it, the parcel connecting those two to Mackenzie Beach Road, and the two parcels accessed by sharp Road......providing a treaty was signed and everything went smoothly.
the first year the parcel on Mckenzie beach road was signed over....after that nothing happened, no successful treaty signing so now those lands are in limbo. in the meantime the major housing initiative became tyhistanis with an economic component in there somewhere.
No money for any of this. Another $450,000 just got allocated for consultants on......you guessed it sewage treatment. Trying to save money on redesigns. They are emptying the cookie jar.
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