Committee approves Farhi request to continue operating downtown parking lot

The city's planning committee has given initial approval of an application by Farhi Holdings Corp. to continue operating a piece of land near the corner of Queens Avenue and Clarence Street as a surface parking lot. 

If ratified by full council, the temporary zoning change will allow the lot at 193 Queens Ave. to continue operating as a surface parking lot for three years. 

The parcel, about 1.7 hectares in size with space for 46 vehicles, has been operating as a surface parking lot since 2007. The property doesn't have frontage on Queens Avenue or Clarance Street but has a narrow strip that allows access to Queens Avenue.

A parking study carried out by city staff four years ago recommended against extending permits for surface parking lots in downtown where the usage of the lot is low. From a planning perspective, surface lots are considered a poor use of valuable land in the downtown core and an impediment to adding density as called for in the London Plan.  

However, the staff report on the 193 Queens Ave. lot said it met the criteria to continue operating as a surface parking lot because the utilization rate is high, at 81 per cent. 

Kelley McKeating, of the local branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, implored councillors to vote against "serial" extensions of temporary zoning for surface lots, arguing they inhibit development of the downtown core. 

"If you really want development to be imminent here, denying yet another renewal of a temporary parking permit would perhaps [encourage] the owner of the property to really get moving," she said. "City council can, in their decisions, send a message about what they want to happen on lands in the downtown core." 

The committee voted 5-1 in favour of granting the three-year temporary zoning to allow the parcel to continue operating as a surface lot, with Coun. Anna Hopkins voting against. 

Coun. Shawn Lewis voted in favour of Farhi's application. He agreed a surface lot isn't the best use of the space, but said the parking it provides is needed. 

"Until such time as we have other alternatives for parking for Dundas Place, it's a pretty critical spot to be providing parking for the businesses on Dundas Place itself," said Lewis. 

Scott Allen of the planning and urban design firm MHBC appeared at the meeting on behalf of Farhi Holdings Corp. He said granting the application won't undermine long-term plans to develop the parcel, which he said Farhi is currently exploring.

The southwest corner of Queens and Clarence includes small land parcels split between three different owners. 

They are:

• 199 Queens Ave. Owned by Farhi Holdings Corp. Was part of a 2012 application to build a tower; currently in use as a parking lot. 
• 193 Queens Ave. Owned by Farhi Holdings Corp. Currently in use as a surface parking lot. The city's planning committee voted on Monday to allow a three-year temporary use as a surface lot.
• 201 Queens Ave. Owned by Farhi Holdings Corp. An existing multi-storey office building is on this parcel, which fronts both Queens Avenue and Clarence Street. 
• 185 Queens Ave. Surface lot owned by the City of London. 
• 455 Clarence Street. Owned by George Anastasiadis. Rezoned to allow for a 32-storey tower, currently in use as a surface parking lot. 

In 2019, the city issued a request for proposals from private developers to turn 185 Queens Ave. into a mixed-use development that will include a municipal parking garage. 

Farhi Holdings was one of three companies to submit a bid but then the city cancelled the process due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Details about the bids remain sealed.