A member of city council is proposing a series of parking measures downtown to counter parking changes being proposed in the City of Windsor's 2026 budget.
The city budget proposes the enforcement time for parking meters be increased two hours to 9 p.m. from 7 p.m., a move projected to generate $650,000.
Ward 3 Councillor Renaldo Agostino is worried that will further discourage people from coming downtown.
Agostino introduced a notice of motion at Monday's council meeting that asks administration to report back on several potential measures that he believes will generate $1 million, including:
- A reduction in enforced parking hours to 6 p.m.,
- Changing parking spaces to angled parking in a move to create an additional 250 parking spaces,
- Increasing coin payments at parking meters by 25 cents per hour but keeping rates the same for mobile app payments
- Explore selling or leasing street parking opportunities to businesses or residential buildings.
Agostino says the biggest concern for companies looking to locate downtown is parking.
"Adding these additional spots could be huge; it will be a huge windfall for downtown Windsor. Plus it will take pressure off the hospitality industry that does make money at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. So it's a win-win for the community and a win-win for downtown. In the initial budget we were looking for $650,000 in additional revenue. I want $1 million, but I want it done this way," he says.
Agostino says if someone is converting a building downtown into residential spaces, one of the biggest stresses is parking.
"Now what I want to say is, listen, if you want to convert a building downtown into a condo or residential complex that brings me density and solves a huge problem for me in the core, I'm going to lease you some spots right in front of your building because I can do that if I go to angled parking. So there's a lot of opportunity here," he says.
According to an administration report, there are currently 1,450 parking meters in the city, with approximately 900 of the meters in core high-use areas such as the downtown, university, and entertainment areas.
Council is expected to receive a full report from administration at its meeting on January 26, where budget amendments will be considered.