More parking concerns have arisen in Moncton after news of a major hotel development coming to the downtown core.
With a unanimous vote, city council agreed to sell land adjacent to the new downtown arena to the Corey Craig Group for $3 million. Company president and CEO Craig O'Neill says they have plan to make the two-acre site into a Hyatt Place Hotel chain.
“It's going to be a 140-room hotel with a 5,000 square foot restaurant which we have not named yet and about 1,500 square feet of retail,” says O’Neill.
The hotel will be four stories tall and come with parking for 142 vehicles. But that’s bad news for those who already feel parking will be at a premium once the arena opens.
“With Moncton we're not used to using public transportation or carpooling,” says resident Jen Samuel. “Everybody takes their cars everywhere so I think people are going to have to change their minds.”
Kevin Silliker from the city of Moncton says there are 3,500 parking spaces within a kilometre of the new events centre. Silliker says there are 3,000 spaces at the coliseum, the furthest being almost half a kilometre from the doors of the arena.
“That's the interesting thing about the coliseum. You actually do have a considerable walk to get there,” says Silliker. “You do have a sightline to the coliseum. Psychologically I think that helps a lot of people.”
The city is working with parking lot owners near the city's core to open up extra parking during events at the arena.
As for the hotel, shovels will be in the ground this spring and will be completed in 18 months.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jonathan MacInnis.
