A new temporary municipal parking lot will be coming to the downtown waterfront area later this spring, providing additional parking for visitors and residents.
The City of Orillia has worked with the owner of 20 Front St. S. to finalize an agreement to lease the property to accommodate 105 temporary parking spaces. The temporary lot will be accessible via Colborne Street East with two pedestrian pathways to access Front Street South and Mississaga Street East (see Key Map).
“As revitalization of the City’s downtown waterfront is impacting the current parking supply, this new temporary parking lot within the downtown waterfront area will provide residents and visitors with convenient parking near our beautiful waterfront parks throughout the construction taking place,” said Mayor Don McIsaac. “The new demand-based parking rates will help offset the costs of this temporary measure. I would like to thank Mr. Geoff Campbell for working with the City to find this interim solution as we continue to investigate a long-term strategy for parking in the downtown.”
City staff are working quickly to get the temporary parking lot ready for an anticipated opening this June; however, the opening date will be dependent on getting all the necessary infrastructure in place by that timeframe. Updates regarding the opening date will be posted on the City’s website at orillia.ca and social media channels.
The new temporary municipal parking lot, which will be known as “Lot 15,” will consist of 102 standard parking spaces and three accessible parking spaces in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. The temporary parking lot will complement other measures in place, including the existing temporary Lot 13 at 70 Front St. N. and the new waterfront shuttle pilot program.
The cost to park in the new temporary Lot 15 will be $3 per hour with an eight-hour time limit, Monday to Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The rate is set to support the demand-based parking rate structure recently implemented on May 1, 2023. Given the temporary nature of the lot, pay-and-display machines will not be installed. Parking can be paid by using the Passport Parking mobile application, which allows you to pay, extend, and manage your parking session. The Passport Parking app is user friendly and available to download from all major app stores.
In order to establish the temporary parking lot, amendments to the City’s Traffic and Parking By-law are required and will be included on an upcoming Council agenda.
Parking information can be found at orillia.ca/parking.