Opponents of a controversial downtown parkade in a Kamloops
waterfront park have gathered enough signatures to force a referendum on
the issue. The proposed Lorne Street Parkade is a two-level, 348-stall
structure, which would be built in a section of the city's waterfront
Riverside Park. The Friends of Riverside Park have collected 6,600 signatures — more
than the 10 per cent of eligible voters needed to force the issue to a
referendum. Bob Gamble of Friends of Riverside Park said people are concerned
about the $8 million the city will have to borrow to build the parkade,
but most of all, its location. "What
they're doing is they're taking one of the most valuable pieces of land
in the city and they're placing no value on it whatsoever," said
Gamble. "Most of the people who come to our booth and our table to sign the
petition agree: they need a parkade, they just don't want it in the
park. If it's really needed in our community, they will find a way to do
it." Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar said although the city has tried to keep
people informed on plans for the parkade, there's still confusion about
where it will go and what it will look like. "I think a lot of people think it is a parkade in the park. It's not.
It's a current parking lot right now on the edge of the park, buffered
by a street," he said. "The other thing is, it's not a parkade going up into the sky, it's
actually adding one level of parking underneath the current parking lot.
" The 6,600 signatures still have to be verified. Then Kamloops city
council will decide if it will go ahead with a referendum or scrap the
plan for the parkade. If the matter does go to referendum, it is too late to add the question to the fall municipal election ballot, said Milobar. He said a stand-alone referendum on the parkade would cost the city $100,000.
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