Warmer weather is on its way and with new venues and attractions ready to roll in downtown Galt, some fear parking issues that are already a problem are about to get much worse.
With a limited number of spots and a majority of customers arriving by vehicle, The Hamilton Family Theatre at 46 Grand Ave S. is in a constant fight to ensure people coming to performances have places to park.
"There is just not adequate parking downtown. It's not a new problem," said Alex Mustakas, CEO of Drayton Entertainment. "Everybody probably faces this in the downtown cores, but we have to protect our interests as well."
The theatre is located next door to the Gaslight District, Foundry Tavern, Tapestry Hall and the soon-to-open market and public square with capacity for over 4,000 people and the promise of large screen sports events, live entertainment and concerts.
Parking at the theatre is already difficult with unauthorized vehicles taking up spots.
Mustakas said they'll often look outside and 20 to 30 of their spaces filled with cars that have nothing to do with the theatre.
"Those spots could have gone to our elderly patrons who are now having to walk multiple blocks," Mustakas said.
Greg Gardner, who owns Sugar Daddies Bakery in downtown Galt and is in his own battle with the city for more parking on Main Street, is experiencing the same issues at home as a resident in the Gaslight District condos.
He has seen vehicles towed out of the Hamilton Family Theatre parking lot, and suspects many are visitors to the condo or patrons of the nearby restaurants.
"Everyone here was only given one space and the visitors is always full, so people are going to park where they can," Gardner said.
Mustakas said Drayton Entertainment is working with the Gaslight District and the city to address concerns they have over parking.
HIP Developments, which owns the Gaslight District, Tapestry Hall and the Foundry Tavern did not respond to comments about current and potential parking issues.
The City of Cambridge's director of economic development, James Goodram has echoed the response given to the businesses and said there is enough parking downtown, but patrons may have to walk a few blocks from one of the downtown lots.
"When you park downtown, you're not necessarily on the doorstep of the venue that you want to attend, so you might have to park around the block," he added.
Goodram said he was at the mall recently and thinking about the parking situation downtown.
"By the time I parked the car, walked through the parking lot, walk to the mall to my destination, it's basically the same distance as it would be from parking in an on street parking space, or in a municipal parking lot to your destination downtown."
There are several parking lots in downtown Galt with over 1,000 spaces, not to mention on-street parking.
If a patron wanted to attend a play at the Hamilton Theatre or see a concert at the Gaslight District public square, the time it would take to walk from the Dickson Lot is estimated by Google to be about 10 minutes.
The walk over the pedestrian bridge from the Monigram's parking lot on Water Street would also be around 10 minutes.
Goodram has suggested shuttling customers to and from events as an option, but it's a proposition Mustakas quickly shut down.
"Shuttling in would absolutely not work for us. Not only would it be extremely expensive, but logistically would be a nightmare," he added.
The city is trying to encourage more environmentally sustainable modes of travel, including walking, cycling, e-bikes and e-scooters, public transportation or ride sharing, but so far residents are slow to buy in and in many cases it's understandable why.
City bike infrastructure is only starting to provide practical connectivity to areas like Hespeler and huge gaps remain, particularly along the main corridors like Hespeler Road and around Galt.
Grand River Transit (GRT) is launching enhanced routes in Cambridge in September, but it's unclear if the new routes will make taking a bus a feasible option for the majority of residents.
A search for directions from Fisher Mills Road in Hespeler to Grand Avenue South in Galt, for instance, says it would take close to an hour on a bus.
Goodram expects as the city grows, so will these modes of transportation.
Planning policies are underway to get the city taking transit, walking more, or getting around on two wheels instead of four with new developments in the cores and so-called Major Transit Station Areas limiting parking availability to one space per unit or less.
"We are really pushing for the LRT to come down as soon as possible and trying to increase ridership and routes via GRT," Goodram said. "These are things we are going to continue to invest in to make getting around Cambridge easier and more efficient."
Meantime, Gardner and Mustakas want to see more parking options made available, especially as summer heats up and residents flock to the downtown cores.
"Look, it's a good problem to have. That means that we're all busy and we're thriving, but we need to make sure that we are looking out for our businesses and making it easier for customers to come here," said Mustakas. "If people start associating Hamilton Family Theatre with no parking, they won't show up."
