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Town puts brakes on parking dispute
Friday August 15 2008
RICHARD VIVIAN, Banner Staff Writer
 
Orangeville council has “given the go-ahead” for a deal that would see the town purchase a disputed downtown property. The deal could bring an end to both a looming lawsuit and a potential downtown parking crisis.
Several months of negotiations between the town and developer Forecast Inc. led to the pending resolution, which Mayor Rob Adams says council endorsed during an in-camera discussion Monday evening.
“We feel that we have an agreement ... At this point the lawyers would be finalizing that agreement,” he tells The Banner.
“It’s been a ton of work,” he adds of the negotiations, which have seen several proposals go back and forth. “I feel relief that it all came together in the end.”
A Forecast representative couldn’t be reached for comment at press time. The developer launched a $2.3 million lawsuit against the Town of Orangeville, the current owner of 86-90 Broadway and others last August, soon after the town announced it was purchasing the 0.59-acre property to provide free public parking.
That suit alleges the town interfered with Forecast’s deal to purchase the property — something Adams denied from the get-go.
Adams says the deal he presented to council this week will see the town buy the property. It will also reimburse Forecast for expenses related to the property, such as land transfer taxes, land surveys and soil testing.
“We appreciate the support of Forecast in recognizing how important that property is to the downtown, to the BIA and to the town, and working with us to help solve the parking problem,” the mayor says.
“I’m extremely relieved. We’ve been working with our BIA to try to remedy the parking in downtown. This is an extraordinary step for the town and the BIA in our partnership.”
The town and BIA (Business Improvement Area) announced plants to partner in purchasing 86-90 Broadway last August; Orangeville will buy the land and the BIA will reimburse the municipality for mortgage payments.
Geoff Chandler, BIA chair, believes that arrangement still stands.
“It’s been a long time coming,” he says of the deal between Forecast and the town.
“The BIA is very happy we’ve secured something for the long-term. That’s the most important thing — it’s not just another short-term solution,” Chandler continues. “I don’t think it’s an end to the parking issues, but certainly it’s a great step for us to have some space there and we know we’re going to have a great deal of control over it now.”
The need for a new public parking lot stems from the pending loss of an Armstrong lot leased by the town. That property is slated for a mix of commercial and residential uses.
At press time, the owner hasn’t officially given notice of breaking its lease with the town; doing so requires 60 days notice.
When that property is developed, about 100 parking spaces will be lost. Town officials have said 86-90 Broadway can accommodate between 90 and 100 spaces.
“Obviously it’s something that really should have happened many years ago,” Chandler says of purchasing a property for parking downtown. He says it was just a matter of time before rising property values inspired development of the Armstrong Street lot.
“This will be one of the first parking lots the town owns, as opposed to traditionally always leasing parking spots and being at the whim of the developer who owns the property,” adds Adams. “It’s exciting that we’re planting some roots and continuing to support the downtown.”
He expects the purchase deal to close within a month and the lot should be ready for parking in the next “several months.”