This Optimist front page photo from 1970 shows a police constable training the municipality’s first parking enforcement officer to mark tires and hand out tickets for overtime parkers in Ladner Village.
Delta never went so far, though, to install parking meters.
More recently, the city installed signs imposing new time new limits in an effort to free up spots in the village.
Parking has been a constant issue within the village as employees have been seen as the biggest culprits, taking up valuable customer spots.
A decade ago, a civic advisory committee, looking into the revitalization of the waterfront and downtown core in Ladner, was told there isn’t a big parking problem, but that could change with increased density.
During those discussions, one of the suggestions was for council to consider “low cost” parking solutions, such as timed parking stalls or meters.
According to a consultant at the time, a clear parking strategy is needed for the redevelopment of the area because current capacity needs to be balanced with additional pressures that may come from redevelopment, particularly “destination” uses.
A Delta parking review years earlier found Ladner businesses were not in favour of pay parking as a management tool.
Nestled among the amendments in the new area plan for Ladner Village, approved by council in 2021, are reduced Mixed Use Ladner Waterfront Zone parking regulations to be extended to all of Ladner Village.
It was one of the many recommendations by the Ladner Village Renewal Advisory Committee.
An economic analysis pointed to a need to consider parking requirement reductions to ensure viability of redevelopment, so new parking standards are to be developed for new development projects.
“Along with density, the cost of parking plays a significant role in the development potential for a property. The economic analysis indicated that lower parking rates make redevelopment more likely. Additionally, lower parking rates can enhance the design performance of buildings, encourage active transportation and the use of transit, and support the development of vibrant, walkable places,” a report on the new Official Community Plan for the village notes.
