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The City of Edmonton is aiming to boost its parking revenues to more than $10 million annually through a series of new measures that include scrapping free parking at several city-owned attractions and boosting targeted enforcement.
The Muttart Conservatory, Valley Zoo and Fort Edmonton Park will begin charging for parking under a pilot program that will start sometime in 2027, the urban planning committee decided at its meeting on Tuesday.
The first hour will be free, with each subsequent half-hour costing $1, up to a $5 daily maximum. The forecasted revenue from the three sites is expected to be $737,000 annually, according to a city report.
The range of changes for the curbside and parking program, which includes the elimination of free parking at attractions, will see net revenue double from about $5.2 million in 2026 to $10.4 million annually from 2028 onward.
City staff told the committee the three sites were selected because they have defined parking areas, strong demand and relatively limited spillover impacts. Councillors were also told that the pricing was set to avoid creating any negative impacts on attendance.
The city is also looking at future changes to ETS park-and-ride facilities and parking enforcement.
Ward pihêsiwin Coun. Mike Elliott expressed concerns about how new parking fees would impact low-income families or seniors with fixed incomes. City staff couldn’t answer the question, noting they didn’t have demographic information about people who use these facilities.
The committee overturned a city recommendation to remove 15-minute free street parking.
“I think this has been really important for quick stays, for ensuring that we’re having, you know, just people being able to pop into local businesses,” said Ward O-day’min Coun. Anne Stevenson who put forward the motion.
Stevenson’s motion also directed city administration to revisit the parking rate structure for sessions longer than 15 minutes to fully recover the cost of the free period.
“If you’re parking for an hour, you’re not paying for 45 minutes, you’re paying for 60 minutes, and just smoothing out how … approximately $175,000 that is currently not recouped through the free 15 minute parking will be captured moving forward.”