Parking concerns at the soon-to-be re-developed Oshawa Clinic on Council agenda

The now former owners of the Oshawa Clinic property on King Street East in downtown Oshawa want the City to take over operations of its 174-spot parking lot to provide parking for the clients and staff who are not prepared to make the move to a new medical facility opening next month in Whitby.

The recommendation from City staff and signed off by the Community and Operations Services Committee earlier this month is to turn down the request, however, with the matter headed to Council for a vote on Monday.

The argument from the Oshawa Clinic Group, which owned the ivy-walled clinic building and the tower behind it until a recent sale, is that the reduced number of users at the facility – which is slated for re-development – make maintaining the untenable, with costs for renting the parking lot “not within our budget.”

Committee Chair John Gray said the request is “premature” as new property owner Atria Developments has released only preliminary drawings of its future ‘Centra’ development. Future parking needs will be dealt with the appropriate time, Gray noted.

“We see it as (Atria’s) responsibility to provide parking,” he said. “The Clinic made the decision to move and the new owner has plans to re-develop the site. Are we in the business of creating parking for them? The development has to stand on its own.”

Oshawa Clinic parking lot

Atria is already involved in negotiations with the City over parking issues at another proposed development a couple of blocks to the west at their proposed Post Lofts project, with the company looking to potentially build a multi-level parking garage at the current City-owned lot across the street for the 143-unit rental project.

Atria President Hans Jain is on record as saying the good relationship his firm has with staff and council has him optimistic of a deal being made with the City. “We hope it can be resolved.”

His company is also “committed” to maintaining a medical “presence” at the Oshawa Clinic site and, in fact, a medical building is part of the preliminary plans for the ‘Centra’ development.

City staff cited differing rates (two hours parking at the Clinic costs $7.50; two hours at a City-owned lot $2.50) and hours (parking is free weekends and evenings at City lots) and parking maintenance staffing “at capacity” as reasons to say no to the Oshawa Clinic Group ask.

Councillors Derek Giberson and Rosemary McConkey both spoke at committee April 10 about the need for staff to take another look at the Oshawa Clinic’s request with Giberson noting that the City needs to be “looking hard” at retaining “some sort of footprint (for the clinic) downtown.”

Neither offered an amendment and the matter will go to a vote Monday.

Atria Development’s ‘Centra’ project slated for the Oshawa Clinic site