Downtown parking lot to continue operation

by Richard Riosa

A Windsor couple has been given permission by city council to continue operating their downtown parking lot.

At the Feb. 4 council meeting, council discussed whether or not to allow Danny and Antonietta Danelon to continue operating their Glengarry parking lot in violation of the city by-law.

Windsor by-law CR127/2011 allows for properties within the Glengarry-Marentette Waterfront Community Improvement Plan to be used as parking lots. The by-law requires the owners of these parking lots to phase their development over a two year period, with specified deadlines for each phase. All required drainage, curbing and lighting was to be completed by Nov. 30. Decorative fencing and pillars must be installed by Aug. 31 and all required landscaping must be completed by Sept. 30.

At the Jan. 7 council meeting, the Danelons circulated a letter requesting they be allowed to continue operation of their parking lot at 268 Glengarry Ave. They appeared at council Feb. 4 to discuss the issue.

Danelon said the parking lot has been operating as a temporary lot since Nov. 2011. He also said they have spent more than $100,000 to date in their attempts to reach compliance with the by-law. He said all permits have been obtained and lighting and required drainage has been installed, inspected and approved.

According to Danelon, the only thing keeping them non-compliant with the by-law was the lack of curbing and pavement. He said this was due to a delay obtaining the building permit.

He said the building permit application required to begin pouring of the asphalt was submitted to the building department Oct. 26.

“Our building permit was finally issued on Dec. 21, 2012,” said Danelon. “Ironically, the day after the closing of the asphalt batch plant (for the winter).”

Ward 3 Coun. Fulvio Valentinis supported the Danelons’s request to continue operating their parking lot.

“I’m going to move that with respect to this particular parking lot, that we allow the use of that parking lot until at least 30 days after the asphalt plants have opened,” said Valentinis.

Danelon said the parking lot is “asphalt-ready” and it would take roughly one week to complete curbing and paving.

“If the (asphalt) plants had been open an additional week, the curbing and asphalting would’ve been done,” said Valentinis.

Bill Marra, Ward 8 councilor, supported Valentinis’s motion to council.

“Frankly,” said Marra, “I wish we had all the other lots up to this point… I think it makes sense to support this.”