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Is downtown Timmins becoming a landscape of parking lots?

Holes where storefronts and taverns once stood, are being filled with private lots.

The number of parking lots in downtown Timmins has shot up in the past several years after fires have destroyed several longtime landmarks.

Each damaging blaze is seen by many locals as another nail in the coffin for a once bustling business area.

Rather than rebuilding, the trend has become to turn the lots into private parking.

The gravel parking lots may come in handy, but aesthetically, they can best be described as eyesores.

Noella Rinaldo, Executive Director of the Downtown Timmins BIA, says there are rules and bylaws for property owners to follow.

“If the lot does not belong to the city, and they are privately owned they can be sold rather quickly to private enterprise. The regulations are access in and out. If they do not have access the owner would have to go to the city to have the entrance design. But in the last few years the lots that have been available have had lane-way access,” she said.

“The majority of these are for rent privately and not available to the general public to go in and out of. However the more vehicles in private spots the more space available for other vehicles in the lots,” said Rinaldo.

Getting more vehicles off the streets themselves can be viewed as a positive thing, as beautification efforts in recent decades have reduced the number of on-street parking spaces in the downtown core.

When snow accumulation during winter months is taken into account, Downtown Timmins can seem very congested, but the private lots do very little to assist in revitalization efforts.

“From a BIA point of view, it’s a balance. Parking is always welcomed but serviced lots would be excellent for building a great new building to supply those looking for space. The cost is lower than in a new area as the services are there and the need for specific buildings are great,” said Rinaldo.

The city's tax base is receiving some funds from the lots, but none of the revenue goes to the BIA itself.

“That’s an issue that is being looked at by bylaw and the OBIAA (Ontario Business Improvement Area Association). The city collects taxes on it, however the BIA does not currently collect the levy on the tax,” she said.

The BIA remains optimistic that the lots will eventually be developed by their owners.

“The nice thing with these spaces is they have services such as water, power, but there is opportunity to build a more useful building. Parking is looked at, I think as a quick solution of small income until the need for space becomes more cost effective, to build. All parking lots privately or city-owned are looked at as future opportunity,” said Rinaldo.

There has not been a new building constructed in the downtown core in several decades.