Dear Editor:
RE: Paid Parking Coming To City Of North Van’s Busiest Streets
Our business has been devastated by North Vancouver City council’s vote to approve paid parking in the light industrial commercially zoned areas of the 200 and 300 blocks of East Esplanade and the 200 block of East First Street.
The decision will destroy long-time businesses with business licences who require adequate parking for local customers.
Our automotive business at 346 East Esplanade only found out on April 6 through social media that paid parking was going to a vote for approval on April 14.
My business partner and co-owner, Frank Redavid, and I have operated the business Krangle Automotive and owned the commercial building on Esplanade for the last 29 years. We require parking to accommodate our local customers whose cars break down and need to drop off their vehicles overnight and weekends, and to allow them to pick up and drop off vehicles for servicing during business hours.
When I contacted the city’s planner and deputy parking planner just prior to the crushing vote, I received an email saying that “city staff undertook one of the most comprehensive engagement efforts at the city for this project, which received more feedback than any transportation project to date.”
At that point I personally went to about 30 businesses in the 200 and 300 blocks of East Esplanade and 200 block of East First and no one said they had been consulted.
The city has grouped our light industrial commercial parking in the same category as retail multi-use residential around Lonsdale, but our business and its parking needs are much different.
Feeling unrepresented by the city, I’m going to try to start a light industrial commercial building association for the 200 block of East First and 200 and 300 blocks of East Esplanade.
Dennis Krangle
Krangle Automotive
North Vancouver
