Parking at the new courthouse has the potential be a nightmare, according to the president of the city’s law association.
Chris Hacio said his members are ready to move into the new consolidated courthouse, which is receiving its finishing touches, but explained there is at least one issue causing him headaches.
“One thing we have been challenged with is the lack of parking spots,” Hacio said earlier this week.
“That creates difficulty for both members of the public and members of our association trying to service members of the public and provide legal services to them.”
Underground parking at the courthouse is only going to be available to members of the judiciary, leaving members of the public and practicing lawyers to park at street level.
Currently, there are two parking lots available. There is one located on the courthouse property that has 65 spaces, and one across Miles Street that has 168 spaces.
With both the Ontario Court and Superior Court of Justice consolidating into the one building, there is anxiety the number of spaces will not be adequate for the amount of traffic accessing the courthouse.
Hacio explained his biggest fear is having clients being found in contempt of court due to being late for their court appearances after struggling to find a spot to park.
Parking authority manager James Coady said the city is currently in a bit of a holding pattern, as they won’t know the extent of the demand for parking until the building opens.
He said he believes there is enough parking for the initial opening of the courthouse, which is expected to occur in early 2014.
“The problem is we don’t know what the supply of the courthouse parking lots we’ll be able to have for public use,” Coady said.
“We have an agreement that allows us to use their surplus parking for public use.”
Coady stressed there are options available if more space is required.
One of the other concerns comes from local business owners who don’t want to see the space in front of their establishments blocked for much of the day.
With that in mind, Coady said the city has a solution to quell both issues.
He explained there is a plan to facilitate any additional parking needs with a lot that has 150-vehicle spaces located east of the courthouse on the corner of Miles and North streets.
Coady said the lot would be metered for longer visits, as drivers would be able to pay for four hours or more, whereas the street meters only have a two-hour window to create turnover for businesses.
