[Moncton] Centre Avenir Centre | 26.65m |~6 Fl | Completed

[L'homard]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

By making evening on street parking a paid commodity, this would even the playing field........

As long as it's longer than a two-hour limit, this is the proper thing to do to help convince private lot owners to join in the game.
Besides that, it never made sense to me that I can park my car free to get drunk at a bar (presumably to drive home afterwards) but if I'm having a heart attack I have to feed the meter outside the hospital at night.
(Yes I do understand the importance of "churn" at on-street parking spots at hospitals.)

[McKay]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Except that the city is apparently very seriously thinking about instituting paid metered parking in the evenings in the city core too. This is because many of the private lot owners are hesitant to open their lots to events parking because they don't think it would be worth their while if they were competing with "free" on street parking. By making evening on street parking a paid commodity, this would even the playing field........

That doesn't make a huge amount of sense, though. If there's enough capacity at the meters and its free to park there, then of course private lot owners won't be interested in opening up their lots (nor should the city care if they do or don't) because there won't be any demand for their space. If there isn't enough capacity at the meters, then there will be a demand for private lot space whether the meters are free or not. Or is the thinking that there are private lots located much closer to the centre than the available metered spaces?

In any case, the market will almost certainly look after this situation one way or another without the city trying to manipulate it.

[MonctonRad]

There's only about 800 or so metered parking spots in the core, so obviously there is not enough capacity to service the events centre (let alone other downtown businesses) purely with on street parking in the evenings during events nights.

Despite this, this is apparently an issue with downtown lot owners, hence I am pretty sure free downtown parking in the evenings will likely go the way of the dodo by next fall. Even if the city acquiesces to the private lot owners demands however, it is my understanding that only about half of the lot owners are interested in investing in collection mechanisms for events parking.

If so, events centre patrons will still be left guessing which downtown lots you can park in, and which lots will give you the boot (literally). Also, if only half the lot owners participate, there will not be the parking capacity in the core to service the events centre on busy nights.

This is the huge elephant in the room that the city refuses to acknowledge......

[Philbilly]

Current update of the construction downtown center(video) http://buzzlocal.tv/share.php?id=13293&thumb

[MonctonRad]

Still don't see any cup holders........

[Philbilly]

I send a few messages to city hall . Waiting for a reply to see what they say . In short I said it a big problem for a lot of folks and would like a update on this matter

[DTBourque]

I have no insider knowledge, but I've always thought of it like this -

Seemingly half of downtown Moncton is already a surface parking lot.

Could this be the city trying to create the conditions to encourage some of these lots to develop into parking garages?

That would be a carrot approach, increasing demand for downtown parking and making parking garages more profitable.

Stick approach alternatives that rely on regulation or penalties would be harder to implement.

If that's the plan, would it be reasonable for the city to hold off on publicly saying as much to give this a chance to play out?

[L'homard]

I have never heard of a parking garage anywhere in NB that makes money, though.
In Moncton, there is ample ground-level parking one block from Main Street near Vaghan Harvey Boul. at $70 per month, or little more than $2 per day. That lot sits mostly empty for lack of customers.

[DTBourque]

Originally Posted by L'homard

I have never heard of a parking garage anywhere in NB that makes money, though.
In Moncton, there is ample ground-level parking one block from Main Street near Vaghan Harvey Boul. at $70 per month, or little more than $2 per day. That lot sits mostly empty for lack of customers.

I think Atlantic Canadians also have a strong aversion to paying for parking generally.

I don't think it would be crazy to charge $5-$10 to park at or near the Events Centre for a hockey game or a show, though. People would pay it if that was what they had to do to park. I also imagine that would be enough to turn a profit.

[flyer99]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

There's only about 800 or so metered parking spots in the core, so obviously there is not enough capacity to service the events centre (let alone other downtown businesses) purely with on street parking in the evenings during events nights.

Despite this, this is apparently an issue with downtown lot owners, hence I am pretty sure free downtown parking in the evenings will likely go the way of the dodo by next fall. Even if the city acquiesces to the private lot owners demands however, it is my understanding that only about half of the lot owners are interested in investing in collection mechanisms for events parking.

If so, events centre patrons will still be left guessing which downtown lots you can park in, and which lots will give you the boot (literally). Also, if only half the lot owners participate, there will not be the parking capacity in the core to service the events centre on busy nights.

This is the huge elephant in the room that the city refuses to acknowledge......

I agree with your statements. HOWEVER, I still question the LEGALITY of the downtown lot owners opening their lots to event goers if these lots are assigned to monthly paid permit holders. If I pay $100/month to park in a lot and I decide to go to an event and there are no parking spots available because they rented all the spaces for the event what are MY rights? I pay for that space! At my club downtown we rent 20 spaces on a monthly basis and those people have a right to their space 24/7/365. Even club members cannot park in those spots. Comments?

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by flyer99

I agree with your statements. HOWEVER, I still question the LEGALITY of the downtown lot owners opening their lots to event goers if these lots are assigned to monthly paid permit holders. If I pay $100/month to park in a lot and I decide to go to an event and there are no parking spots available because they rented all the spaces for the event what are MY rights? I pay for that space! At my club downtown we rent 20 spaces on a monthly basis and those people have a right to their space 24/7/365. Even club members cannot park in those spots. Comments?

I understand, and this may explain why many of the lot owners do not want to participate in the city's plan. If so, then this is a huge problem for the city (and for Robert Irving). There may be oceans of surface parking in the core, but most of the parking is effectively blocked for casual users. This will impact attendance at the events centre. A solution must be found. Ultimately this will mean parking garages. In the meantime I advocate shuttle busses from the current coliseum parking lot.

[BlackYear]

Private lot owners who would double dip the parking stalls for evening events would need to re-negotiate another term policy for their 8am-6pm customers. Either that or face the consequences with their own clientele. Me, if I was a lot owner, I would go with a 8-6 policy guarantee parking but if you leave your car there overnight, no problem. You will NEVER be towed. BIG SIGN says: All vehicles WILL be towed after 6:00am M-F, unless monthly parking permit has been paid.

I would hope the city would have a list of all businesses and private lot owners who have already been contacted to see 'who's in and who's out'. Once they have all that sorted out, it would be easy to post a parking map on the city's web site.

Again, personally, I do not think parking will be an issue. IMO.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Budyser

Again, personally, I do not think parking will be an issue. IMO.

Parking could be an issue for some people (including me).

I've been a Wildcat's season ticket holder since 2006 when we hosted the Memorial Cup. Over the last couple of years though, my enthusiasm for major junior hockey has waned somewhat, and even though I hold a season's ticket, I probably attend only 40-50% of the games each season.

I greatly appreciate having the convenience of on site parking, and it makes the decision to attend a game at the last minute a whole lot easier.

With the new paradigm of no on site parking, and with the new necessity of leaving earlier to find a spot which will likely be a whole lot less convenient, spontaneous last minute decisions to go to the game will be a whole lot less likely.

Since I am going to fewer games than before, I could see myself letting my seasons ticket lapse and instead maybe just going to 8-10 games per year and generally skipping all the games during the harshest winter weather from January to mid March. This would be sad because I wouldn't have my assured seat at the arena, and I wouldn't be assured of being able to attend the playoff rounds (especially the coveted finals), but it is a trade off. Seasons tickets are an expense, and saving money by not paying for games I don't go to could be an acceptable alternative to the hassle and annoyance of searching for available non-bootable downtown parking.

If Robert Irving and the Wildcats were able to come up with a plan guaranteeing parking spots for seasons ticket holders, I might change my mind but, at present, I'm of the opinion that the Wildcats last season at the Coliseum will also be my last season as a seasons ticket holder.

Having said this, please keep in mind that I am a strong supporter of the new downtown events centre. This is definitely the way forward for the city and for the Wildcats. I just think that without a well thought out parking strategy, this way forward won't include me. I know many other seasons ticket holders who feel the same way..........

[lirette]

I wonder if this has any kind of impact on the centre?

http://business.financialpost.com/pm...isclosed-price

There's a press conference tomorrow for the Wildcats tomorrow with Robert Irving at 11am at the Delta. Could be either Memorial Cup bid confirmation or the lease agreement, or both?

[BlackYear]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Parking could be an issue for some people (including me).

I've been a Wildcat's season ticket holder since 2006 when we hosted the Memorial Cup. Over the last couple of years though, my enthusiasm for major junior hockey has waned somewhat, and even though I hold a season's ticket, I probably attend only 40-50% of the games each season.

I greatly appreciate having the convenience of on site parking, and it makes the decision to attend a game at the last minute a whole lot easier.

With the new paradigm of no on site parking, and with the new necessity of leaving earlier to find a spot which will likely be a whole lot less convenient, spontaneous last minute decisions to go to the game will be a whole lot less likely.

Since I am going to fewer games than before, I could see myself letting my seasons ticket lapse and instead maybe just going to 8-10 games per year and generally skipping all the games during the harshest winter weather from January to mid March. This would be sad because I wouldn't have my assured seat at the arena, and I wouldn't be assured of being able to attend the playoff rounds (especially the coveted finals), but it is a trade off. Seasons tickets are an expense, and saving money by not paying for games I don't go to could be an acceptable alternative to the hassle and annoyance of searching for available non-bootable downtown parking.

If Robert Irving and the Wildcats were able to come up with a plan guaranteeing parking spots for seasons ticket holders, I might change my mind but, at present, I'm of the opinion that the Wildcats last season at the Coliseum will also be my last season as a seasons ticket holder.

Having said this, please keep in mind that I am a strong supporter of the new downtown events centre. This is definitely the way forward for the city and for the Wildcats. I just think that without a well thought out parking strategy, this way forward won't include me. I know many other seasons ticket holders who feel the same way..........

I absolutely hear what you're saying and understand. Me on the other hand, I'm on the other side of the coin.

Last time I was a season ticket holder for anything was back in the old days of the Moncton Golden Flames. I bought season tickets for one year. That ended pretty quickly simply because of the venue. Yes, I despise the Coliseum that much and have avoided it like the plague. Even traveling to Montreal to see concerts was/is worth the extra expenses. My collection of ticket stubs is massive dating back to the early 80's!

So here comes the DEC (Downtown Events Centre). I jump for joy that I'll finally see this new venue open its doors next September, in the city I've been calling home all my life. And, I've also been a resident all my life in the downtown core. This may be the reason why I'm a little bias on the parking issue.

I do plan to finally support the Wild Cats and buy a 2018-2019 season ticket. But like you, I may only attend 40-50% of the games because of work hours and so forth.

But, I am very concern of two things. Major one is the crappy looking hard plastic seats they opted in for. Looking at the photos, they don't appear comfortable. But I'll need to wait and see before truly judging. Second, no cup holders. Hopefully these are simply add-ons not yet attached. However, the seats are the make or break selling point for me.

I want to buy season tix for WC and Miracles, I want to attend every show, I want to support the DEC as much as I can, but if the seats and nothing but a uncomfortable cheap piece of hard plastic...they lost me for good! I seriously hope they're not.

[Philbilly]

So the city of moncton got back to me concerning the seat at the event center

“Mr. Collette, we apologize for the delay as we needed to verify our information with the contractor of the facility. The Centre will have cup holders on all club seats; however, the regular seats will not have them. We can assure you that the seats are comfortable. City Council made the decision (and approved the added investment) to increase the width of the seats to improve the spectator experience. The seats included in the Events Centre are all wider and more comfortable than those at the Coliseum. Should you be interested, the facility has 850 club seats (theatre style padded seats) located at center ice. We are very confident that you will be more than pleased with the seats in this state-of-the-art facility. “

[MonctonRad]

So:

Club seating will have:
- wider seats
- padded seats
- cup holders
- access to the club lounge and restaurant

The amenities for the 850 club seat patrons therefore will far outstrip the 8000 other peons in attendance at Wildcats games or events. I'm not sure it's wise having this much of a difference between club and non club seating. At the very least, everyone should have a cup holder........

[Taeolas]

Ugh, that's not good to hear. Penny wise and a pound foolish design thinking.

It's sad to see them come so close to the mark so often with this, but missing on the simpler things.

[L'homard]

Are there any other perks to having a club seat?
Does one have to join a club to get a club seat? Or is it just a matter of paying extra when purchasing a ticket for a game/event?
I have no idea what is a club seat.

[felip_ars]

It's official, Moncton is bidding for the 2019 Memorial Cup!

http://moncton-wildcats.com/article/...d-memorial-cup

IMO unless Halifax (with his 25th anniversary) enters as well, it's a pretty clear path.

At least it will give them around year in order to figure out the parking situation...because if the locals cant park properly for regular games...imagine all the fans from the other teams coming in in fear because they heard about "Moncton Booting".