New parking garage opens up downtown

On Jan. 9, after two years of re-building, the Carlisle St. Parking Garage finally opened its doors to the public once again.

The new garage, which cost $27.9 million holds 600 parking spaces and will have rooftop gardens, LED sensor lighting, high efficiency ventilation, bike racks and greywater maintenance. While parking was free for the month of January, permit and paid parking begins on Feb. 1.

"This state-of-the-art structure, which is being applauded by our business community, will make it more convenient for people to visit the downtown, as well as support our new Performing Arts Centre and spectator facility," said Mayor Brian McMullan in a press release.

The parking garage is now the second piece of the recent downtown revitalization puzzle — the first being the introduction of two-way traffic down St. Paul Street, and its induction into the Niagara wine route — and it seems that local merchants could not be more pleased with the advancements being made downtown.

"It's about time," said George Coppel, owner of George Coppel Jewellers, located at 261 St. Paul Street "We've had a real lack of parking for two years, and now we have parking again. That is something, as a downtown merchant, that is essential."

Now that the parking garage is completed, the Brock University Performing Arts Centre and the recently approved new arena are the next projects to lift up the downtown core. While these buildings will bring more traffic downtown, they are still a ways away, and so are the benefits of them to the merchant's downtown.

"They have to be up and operational before anyone sees any benefit from them, we'll just have to wait and see," said Coppel.  

The Carlisle Parking Garage will also play host to several retail spaces on the ground floor of the building. While a variety store seems like the most viable possibility, due to the sheer amount of people entering and exiting the building, Chris Lowes, the owner of Mahtay Café on St. Paul Street, believes that the City should house a downtown Co-op grocery store in the available space.

"It would serve the community, and it would be an impressive showing from the City of St. Catharines – it would be a very savvy thing for them to do," he said.

"The City is getting into the business of retail space which is not a good concept for taxpayers, that's why the food co-op would be perfect. It will drive more people down here and it will support local farmers. But, regardless, there are great things coming downtown."