City to launch free parking pilot in Old East Village, lots no longer considered for redevelopment into housing

LONDON, Ont.—The City of London will not be moving forward with plans to redevelop a city-owned parking lot on 641 Queens Avenue into high-density housing in the Old East Village.

At Tuesday’s Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee meeting, the city council instead approved a free daytime parking pilot program for this lot and an adjacent lot on 431 Elizabeth Street running through March 2027.

In June, the council also voted to take no further action regarding the redevelopment of the second lot. They were both previously identified as “shovel-ready” in a 2024 mayoral staff report as part of a “prioritized list of city-owned parking lots [considered] for potential redevelopment as high-density housing.”

In the meeting, Mayor Josh Morgan described the lot on Queens Avenue as “underwhelming” in terms of its potential for housing as the council voted again to halt further action towards redevelopment. The mayor added that it represented a “minimal amount of housing for what could be a significant impact on the businesses in the area” and that he was “happy to drop this location.”

The recommendation to not redevelop the lots was made after consultation with the Old East Village Business Improvement Area and local residents. They cited the potential impact on small businesses, loading needs, future transit integration for “park and ride” and reduced availability of parking on nearby streets due to construction as key reasons against redevelopment in a letter to the city.

“These are very difficult times for our small business property owners and our residents,” said Kevin Morrison, executive director of the Old East Village BIA, speaking as a public participant at the meeting. “[The resolution] recognizes the need for revitalization while understanding that now is not the right time to proceed with redevelopment on this particular site… we’re not saying not ever, we’re just saying not now.”

The council voted unanimously to halt further action on redeveloping the lot, while Councillor Skylar Franke was the lone vote against the free parking pilot program, citing concerns over fairness. “We’re not offering free bus tickets to people who are going to Old East Village, we should be consistent for people who are using different modes of transit.”

The two lots account for six per cent of city-wide parking revenue and cost the city about $1,000 monthly in equipment repairs and lost revenue from vandalism and other damage to equipment. In a report presented as part of the agenda for the meeting, city staff stated it was possible that the availability of free parking could help to reduce these incidents.

Another advocacy group, Old East Village People for Public Spaces, said in a letter to the council that redeveloping the lot would amount to “robbing the future to pay the present.” They argued that current usage rates may not accurately reflect the value of these lots, as business vacancy rates are at a high point now but are expected to decrease, which may lead to future demand for parking.

“This [program] is going to reduce some of the stress and uncertainty for businesses and people who live in the area,” added Councillor Susan Stevenson, who represents Ward 4, which includes the Old East Village. “I think this is going to remove one small barrier for people who are going to come support the great businesses and organizations that are currently still in the Old East Village.”

This comes as London has made significant progress towards the city’s goal of building 47,000 new housing units by 2031, set in 2023 as part of the city’s housing pledge. In August, the city received $11.9 million from Ontario’s Building Faster Fund for reaching 95 per cent of their annual building target in 2024.