The owner of a commercial building in downtown Port Coquitlam says the removal several years ago of four parking stalls along McAllister and Shaughnessy streets is costing his tenants customers.
Joe Zuccolo said the stalls were removed to allow for a bus stop on McAllister. Since then, he said his requests to the city and to Translink to get the stalls back have gone unheeded — and that’s creating hardship for some of the businesses on the intersection’s northeast corner.
Reza Ahmadi of Omega Pizza and Wings said his take-out customers have expressed their frustration because they have to search for parking before popping in to pick up their orders.
“Usually, people are in a rush,” he said. “They don’t want to order from me because there is no parking.”
Louis Kang, who has owned the Sun Stop convenience store on the corner of McAllister and Shaughnessy since June 1, said customers who use his shop as a drop for packages being delivered by UPS said they often have to struggle carrying large boxes to their cars a block or more away.
“It’s inconvenient when they have to pick up big boxes,” he said.
Kirsten Dixon, Port Coquitlam’s director of engineering and public works, said the bus stop was installed in 2015 to make it more desirable for users of the C38 bus route through downtown. She said it was suggested at the time that Zuccolo designate some of the stalls behind his building to “customer only” to ensure availability.
Zuccolo said the seven parking stalls at the back of his building are often full and parking around the nearby bowling alley is usually occupied by its customers and staff from city hall, which is across the street.
Zuccolo said the nature of many of the businesses in his building, like the convenience store and take-out pizza place, as well as a hair salon that has many clients who are seniors, make curbside parking essential for their success.
“For the most part, it’s people that are just coming in for a quick stop,” he said.
Dixon said the city works with property owners and the Downtown Business Improvement Association to address parking concerns in the area. She said a year-long planning process that was completed earlier in 2017 identified several opportunities to improve the downtown that will be considered by city council in the future.
