Five municipal parking lots being considered for redevelopment into high density housing

Preliminary analysis of municipally owned parking lots in London’s core business districts has determined five potential locations where the city could partner with developers to construct high density housing.

A report to the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee updates council on the search for locations suitable to convert from public parking lots into high-rise housing, and seeks authorization to spend up to $137,000 on a more detailed investigation of the short-listed sites.

“I see huge potential in this, but we're never going to know until we move forward with it,” Mayor Josh Morgan told CTV News. “That’s why I provided the direction to staff to bring this back to council for their consideration.”

At the State of the City Address in January, Morgan announced that he used his Strong Mayor Powers to direct civic administration to prepare a list of viable parking lots owned by the city.

The initial 19 lots under consideration were winnowed down to five on the new priority list:

• 641 Queens Ave. (Old East Village)
• 434 Elizabeth St. (Old East Village)
• 84 Horton St. (SOHO)
• 199 Ridout St. (SOHO)
• 824 Dundas St. (Provincial Offences Courthouse)

A map of five municipal parking lots prioritized for residential redevelopment. (Source: City of London)

The floodplain of the Thames River limits development at199 Ridout St. to the northeast portion of the property.

A number of factors will require in depth analysis, including water and sewage capacity, parking utilization, and soil contamination.

Morgan emphasizes that new residential buildings on the sites could include public parking inside their garages.

“We can have different levels of parking,” he explained. “It might be more. It might be less. It can be a function of what's needed in the area with residential development on top.”

At Mona Lisa Beauty Salon on Dundas Street, owner Ann Balanovic said bringing additional residents to the Old East Village is more valuable than the underutilized parking lot on Queens Avenue.

“I think it's a beautiful idea!” Balanovic said. “We need something beautiful and new so people can move in and have new places.”

Once the parking lots undergo detailed review of their potential developability, a Request for Proposals (RFP) process would allow developers to bid on the opportunity to partner with city hall on one or more of the sites.

Since the city would be providing the property and potentially housing incentive programs, the expectation is that at least 10 per cent of the units would be affordable housing.

Morgan added, “At the end of the day, we have to be very cautious to do something that is viable. To actually achieve the goals that we have; more parking where it's needed and more housing in the core of the city.”

Meanwhile, the municipal parking lot at 185 Queens Ave. is already undergoing a similar process to find a development partner to build a public parking garage and residential development on the site.

On Sept. 17, the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee will consider spending up to $137,000 to further investigate the developability of the parking lots.