Ideas for empty lot in St. Peter's range from extra parking to ship-shaped stage

The fate of a gravel lot is stirring up conversation — and some complaints — in the seaside Cape Breton village of St. Peter's.

The Irving-owned lot on Grenville Street, the community's main thoroughfare, was once the site of a garage. It is now leased for $230 a month to the village commission, which is trying to figure out what to do with the space.

Earlier this summer, the commission tapped Pierre LaRochelle, a retired engineer who had been working on the development of the site, to summarize suggestions from residents who've taken to social media to voice their ideas.

Proposals for the space ranged from installing a permanent community market to giving the entire space over to parking to building a stage in the shape of a ship — a nod to the nautical history of St. Peter's.

LaRochelle is among those enthused by the idea of a public stage area to hold arts and culture events. Although the village's lease prohibits a permanent stage from being built on the site, LaRochelle said the structure could be movable.

"It's not the Hector, it's not the Mayflower, it's not any old pirate ship  — it resembles the stern of an old galleon," he said in an interview.

"You couldn't have a Scottish dancing group up there easily, but you could have a band. And it would also be a point of information for tourism."

Parking demands as well as accessibility and public safety emerged as the top concerns out of more than 170 comments on the Facebook group The Bright Side of St. Peter's Area.

A number of commenters said despite the addition of garden boxes and outdoor seating to the site, its best use would be a parking lot, given the struggle many face to find available spots for their vehicles on Grenville Street.

"Parking has to be seriously considered," wrote one person. "The 'green space' has very little green." Another person wrote that "certainly beautification was lost on the current [setup]."

The chair of the village commission, Esther MacDonnell, said there are already 20 free parking spaces at the site.

"All those parking spaces …They have never been completely filled," MacDonnell said in an interview. "The problem is that most people want to park right next to the businesses, and that's not happening."

The lease with Irving requires the village to refrain from setting up permanent structures, digging beneath the ground, or limiting access to the land.

Since 2022, St. Peter's has held its official Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the space. An outdoor flea market has set up shop on weekends in recent years and food trucks have parked on site.

But complaints rolled in after the village commission began charging temporary vendors $5 for a five-hour use of the site and $20 to remain there for 10 hours. A number of people called for the space to become home to a permanent community market.

MacDonnell defended the fee structure and added that not-for-profit groups are able to use any of the 10 vendor spaces at no charge.

In his summary of online comments to the village commission, LaRochelle pointed out that communities such as Mabou and Antigonish have successful community markets near their main streets. He predicted St. Peter's could have similar success.

The village commission said there is no timeline to develop the space. It's focusing efforts on securing the money needed to pay for electricity at the site.

The commission and the St. Peter's Economic Development Organization previously received $54,000 in federal and provincial grants to level the land with gravel, add greenery and seating.