Parking lot purchased in downtown Vernon

by Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star posted Feb 9, 2016 at 11:00 AM— updated Feb 9, 2016 at 12:52 PM
There are more places to park in Vernon. The City of Vernon has purchased a lot at 2901 33rd Ave. for $345,000. “It adds more parking in the downtown core,” said Mayor Akbal Mund. Along with some land along the railway track, there are 48 spaces for vehicles. The purchase comes after the city sold the Bennett lot on 29th Avenue to a developer. The city-owned New Delhi building on 29th Street will also be demolished in July, while the publicly owned former flower shop building on 31st Avenue will also be taken down for public parking. “That should take care of the parking the Bennett lot had,” said Mund. Details about the 33rd Avenue purchase were released by city council Tuesday.

Call For More Free Parking Downtown

Written by Peter McIntyre  107.5 KISSFM Thursday, 14 February 2013 06:02  
A Vernon councillor would like to see more free parking in the downtown on weekends. Juliette Cunningham led a motion to get a staff report on allowing free parking on Saturdays in the Bennett parking lot on 29th Avenue. She says higher parking fees set to start this month, could force customers to go elsewhere. "If people really stopped to think about it, it's really not that big of an increase (from 50 cents to $1 an hour), but perception often becomes reality, and I'm just concerned were have a lot of small businesses hurting downtown." Cunningham says parking on Saturdays is already free in the Coldstream Hotel lot, and at the Parkade, which she would like to see better promoted. "I've educated my customers over the years, but still many of them don't know, and part of it is, there's no signage saying free parking on Saturdays, so that's why I would like staff to look at that." The new parking rates are expected to take effect later this month or in March, once the meters are ready.

Parking Problems Persist

Peter McIntyre Monday, 25 January 2010 04:08 107.5 KISSFM:

Parking concerns from downtown business will be before Vernon council this afternoon. The city has received three letters, all saying more of a priority should be put on retaining or adding parking space. Businessman Greg Bird says parking, or the lack of it, is the number one issue for patrons downtown. He's concerned future development of the Coldstream Hotel and Bennett parking lots will only make the situation worse. D-V-A president Ruth Hoyte calls on the city to include a comprehensive parking strategy in it's new transportation plan.And the construction crew on the new VJH tower says they are "outraged" at the city's parking policys. The workers have sent a petition to council, demanding the new parking meters on 31-A Street be hooded for the duration of the project. Spokesman Jeffrey Fisher says many of the 200 plus building trades have to travel here, and to have to plug meters all day is "petty" and "offensive". Fisher says as a result of a lack of free spaces, many of the workers are parking west of the highway and then walking across the busy road

City scolded for ignoring housing

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star - November 14, 2007

A chunk of publicly owned land is going on the block, but a Vernon councillor fears the need for housing will be ignored.On Tuesday, council gave approval to the Vernon Land Advisory Committee to interview two companies about the potential purchase and redevelopment of the Bennett parking lot on 29th Avenue. Lone opposition came from Coun. Pat Cochrane. “Housing should be downtown,” Cochrane told his colleagues and members of the land committee. Cochrane believes the emphasis of any new building will be on commercial and office space and not housing.“I am very disappointed we haven’t made it a requirement on this site,” he said.

But Cochrane’s concerns were dismissed by others around the table.“As part of the interview process, the committee can raise the issue,” said Coun. Juliette Cunningham.The two companies that responded to an expression of interest are MKT Arkle Development Management of Vancouver and Plainsman Companies of Vancouver.The city hopes to see a mix of land uses on the site, with the developer also providing 120 parking stalls that will be owned and managed by the city. There is also a letter of intent that would see the Vernon Medical Clinic sell its properties on 31st and 32nd avenues to the city and then move into a new building on the Bennett parking lot site. The city could also possibly acquire the Elks and Royal Canadian Legion halls, with those groups also moving into the Bennett parking lot building.

If the Vernon Land Advisory Committee is not satisfied with the interviews with MKT Arkle and Plainsman, other firms may be selected for discussions. The committee was also seeking council approval to offer a 90-day purchase option to one of the developers if interviews go well. But that didn’t go over well with Coun. Barry Beardsell.“That leaves council out of it. It’s just a blank cheque,” said Beardsell. Ultimately, the land committee was instructed to put any 90-day purchase option before council for support.

Interest In Bennett Plan

By Pete McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM

Two companies are interested in developing the Bennett parking lot site in downtown Vernon.
The city has received expressions of interest from Plainsman Companies of Kamloops and from MKT Arkle Development of Vancouver. The next step will be for the city's land advisory committee to interview the two firms and then offer an option to the best one for purchase of the property.The Vernon Medical Clinic has agreed to move to that site, while the Elks and Legion are potential tenants.

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More details on proposal can be found at Agenda Package - 2.65MB
VERNON LAND ADVISORY COMMITTEE (P. 7) Mr. Ray Foisy, Vernon Land Advisory Committee re: Review of the EOI submissions received for the Bennett Parking Lot Development.

City still have incorrect info in Request for Expressions of interest ?

In this Morningstar there was a letter from the Legion to the Editor from a Legion and Elks Lodge representative(s). These two local clubs indicate "The Elks Lodge and Vernon Legion have not signed any letter of intent with the city to occupy space in any new building".
"We did permit the City of Vernon to use our name in a request for proposal and have discussed the possibility of moving to a new location with the Vernon Land Committee".
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On the City's website at http://www.vernon.ca/services/purchasing/index.html#tenders
at ADM-07-82 Bennett Parking Lot Development is the following:

The City has letters of intent and agreements in place with 3 project participants. They are:
• The Vernon Medical Clinic
• The Royal Canadian Legion
• The Elks Club

The City of Vernon intends to exchange land and buildings owned by the Elks Club and the Legion for space in the new development. Therefore the City of Vernon will be financially responsible for providing all or part of this space. The developer will provide in the EOI response the full extent of the proposed financial obligation to be borne by the City.
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Spending slammed /Public deserves some answers

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star - October 24, 2007

A Vernon politician questions spending millions of taxpayers’ dollars on property when there are no plans for the land.On Monday, the city revealed that it has an option to purchase the Vernon Medical Clinic on 31st Avenue for $1.2 million and its adjacent parking lot on 32nd Avenue for $204,700.But Coun. Pat Cochrane doesn’t favour the city acquiring more land downtown without knowing exactly what could be done there.“Before we spend $1.4 million, we should have a plan for it,” he said.Cochrane points to the Coldstream Hotel property as a site the city purchased that is now sitting vacant.“We already have a huge site we’re not working on.”

Acquiring the Vernon Medical Clinic is part of a broader redevelopment effort downtown. Council recently gave two readings to rezone the city-owned Bennett parking lot, at 3006 29th Ave., in the hopes that a developer will purchase the site and proceed with a multi-use complex. The city has letters of intent from the Legion, the Elks and the Vernon Medical Clinic to occupy space in any new building on the Bennett property.The goal is for the city to exchange land and buildings owned by the Elks and the Legion for space in the new development, so the city would be financially responsible for providing this space.

The option to purchase the Vernon Medical Clinic lands is contingent on redevelopment of the Bennett parking lot taking place and the physicians purchasing up to 7,500-square-feet in the new building at $35 per square foot.Coun. Barry Beardsell did not support Cochrane’s demands for plans for the medical clinic property.“It’s not something that’s been discussed by council until we get more information from the land committee,” he said.It’s been suggested the legion property on 31st Avenue could eventually be used for housing.The city’s land committee has been instructed to seek out developers to develop the Bennett parking lot.Developers have until Nov. 6 to make submissions and the entire plan must be presented to council before Feb. 29.

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EDITORIAL Public deserves some answers

It’s unfortunate that Coun. Pat Cochrane was the only one to question purchasing of additional property downtown because he raises some valid concerns. Specifically, what is the plan for the Vernon Medical Clinic property on 31st and 32nd avenues if the purchase deal proceeds? It’s hard to believe that the city would be willing to fork over $1.4 million without having some concept of what will happen there.But the city has a poor track record when it comes to these matters.One just has to look over to the vacant Coldstream Hotel block to see property acquisition go wrong.About $2.6 million in taxpayers’ dollars in locked up on that site. While a cultural complex was originally proposed for there, those plans flew south long ago and all there is to show for it is a parking lot. At $2.6 million, that must be one of the most expensive parking lots around.On top of the Vernon Medical Clinic, the city is wheeling and dealing for the Elks and Legion properties. It’s not known what these proposed land swaps will cost, but in 2006, the city was looking at giving the Elks $550,000 for its downtown hall.

And the same question arises for these properties, what is the long-term plan? Most developers or residents have a plan when they buy land, so why would the city operate any differently?Of course all of these transactions are tied to redevelopment of the Bennett parking lot, which the city paid $780,000 for in 2001. In the end, city council and administration must realize that it is taxpayers’ money being used to purchase land and residents have a right to know how it is being used.

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Don Quixote Note: The City will be paying the last assessed price of $1,222,000 for the Clinic property if they exercise their option. (Mind you the previous year's assessed price was $944,000 so maybe they are making a great buy if prices continue to escalate in the City's core.)

More details on Bennet Parking lot development

City council is moving forward with plans to develop the Bennett parking lot site. On Monday council declassified information about the property.

The City has an option to purchase the 31st ave property at $1,222,000 and the 32nd ave property for $204,700 from the Vernon Medical Clinic. The Clinic has been given an option to purchase up to 7,500 sq feet of the Bennett Parking Lot project subject to the City having in place a firm plan to develop a parkade on the Bennett Property.

The Vernon Land Advisory committee will commence a call for proposals to seek out to develop the Bennett lands with the the Vernon Medical Lands being an integral part of the development plan. The Royal Canadian legion and/or the Elks will be a part of the development plan. The entire plan will be presented to council for consideration on or before Feb 29,2008.

Call for proposal can be found at

Bennett Parking Lot Development. City Request Expressions of Interest .