ByWard Market parking garage 'will be greatly missed' during renovations

The temporary closure of a 290-spot parking garage in the ByWard Market has some motorists concerned they'll be driving around in circles to find a place to park over the next couple of months.

The nearly 50-year-old garage at 70 Clarence St.will be shut down on Wednesdayfor renovations until early May, the City of Ottawa announced Monday afternoon.

"I think it will be greatly missed,"saidMargeMcCabe."It's the first place I think of to park."

Richard Whalen, who used to live in the ByWard Market, said parking was always hard to find and now that he lives in the suburbs, he rarely comes downtown.

"People come down here on Saturday and Sunday and expect to be able to park," he said. "It's just not going to be able to happen."

But the head of the business improvement area said late winter and early spring is the best time to renovate the old garage ahead of the busier spring and summer season and that there are nearly 3,000 other parking spots in the area, including another multi-level parking garage at 141 Clarence Street.

'Unpleasant surprise'

"It's imperatively important that the parking garage be open for our market for the spring season," said Jasna Jennings, executive director at the ByWard Market BIA.

"We felt very strongly that if they were going to do it, we were going to make some sacrifices right now to push them to get it done as quickly as possible so it wouldn't drag on any longer."

The parking situation already has a negative cloud over it and this is not going to help any.- JackBisson, ByWardMarket pub owner

Major work has not been done on the garage since 1994, Jennings said.

Renovations will include a new floor in the basement, an upgrade to the fire alarm system, as well as painting and new doors.

Jack Bisson, the owner of two Clarence Street pubs Patty Boland's and the Red Lion Public House said the garage closure was an "unpleasant surprise" he learned of on Tuesday morning.

"The parking situation already has a negative cloud over it and this is not going to help any," he said. "But in reality the parking situation in the Market is still better than any other shopping boroughs in Ottawa."