Parking among top concerns about Mount Albert downtown revitalization

Mount Albert Downtown Revitalization Strategy and Community Improvement Plan approved in 2014, but details still being worked out

Yorkregion.com
July 4, 2023
Simon Martin

Downtown revitalization in Mount Albert has long been talked about but there has been little change in the last decade.

The Mount Albert Downtown Revitalization Strategy and Community Improvement Plan was originally approved in 2014 but its 2023 and the details are still be ironed out.

The Mount Albert Community Centre was packed June 27 with residents trying to catch a glimpse of what the revitalization of the Centre Street area looks like.

Janet Wheeler has been running the Corner Decor and More store at the corner of Centre and Main streets in Mount Albert since 1977. When council was first shown preliminary concepts for the redesign in April, Wheeler was alarmed that all of the parking on Centre Street had been removed.

“Parking has always been the issue for me,” Wheeler said.

She wasn’t the only business owner on Centre Street concerned after the April presentation.

“They wanted to completely get rid of parking on Centre Street,” Tara Warriner said.

Warriner has run the Lighthouse Cafe on Centre Street for the last five years and said her business benefits from the ease of parking on Centre Street, especially during the winter months. She was somewhat pleased with the changes the town made.

“They have left some parking on Centre Street so I was happy to see that,” she said. “I would still like there to be more.”

Warriner said when she pictures a revitalized Centre Street, she wants it to be prettier but still functional.

Some residents like Monica weren’t excited about some of the changes proposed, such as making Bank Street a one-way street.

“I’m pissed,” she said. “People will be parking in front of my bedroom window. I don’t think this whole thing has any value to the citizens.”

Sanjay Bala was a little more upbeat about what he saw being proposed. He’s only lived in Mount Albert for a year and half but is excited about the prospect of the downtown core getting a facelift.

“I feel like we are on to something and I’m pretty excited to see the finished product,” he said. “If we could also get a little facelift on what we are looking while we are on the street that could go a long way.”

The study area focus is on Centre Street between Mount Albert Road and King Street, including portions of intersecting side streets at Elizabeth, Main, Bank and Mill streets. The construction includes road reconstruction and streetscape improvements on 160 metres of Centre Street, 250 metres of Main Street, and 90 metres of Bank Street. The project includes upgraded street lighting and hydro pole replacements. A new storm sewer will also be built along a portion of Main Street to accommodate on-street parking and improve drainage. The town’s new proposed plan is reducing the number of parking spots on Centre Street from approximately 11 spots to eight spots. At the same time, the plan is increasing the number of parking spots on Main Street from seven to 25.

The project has been co-funded through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). The total eligible project costs are approximately $2.7 million, which will be covered by the provincial/federal grant. The town will contribute approximately $454,000.

Construction is scheduled to take place between 2024 and 2026. The town met with business owners in the area on May 17 and June 1. The feedback officials received included that the majority preferred a design option that maintained on-street parking. The changes made by the town didn't go unnoticed by business owners.

“It seems like they are actually listening to business owners,” Warriner said.