By Angela MacKenzie - Staff Reporter

Port Moody council approved 32 waterfront parking spaces for boat trailers at Rocky Point Park on Tuesday. Council voted 6-1 in favour of a boat-trailer parking plan recommended by a working group, which met several times in September and October.

The city formed the boat-trailer parking working group in the summer, in response to heavy criticism over changes to parking linked to a waterfront restaurant development in the park. Members of the group included the mayor, residents, boat-launch users and city staff.

The plan calls for a total of 124 waterfront parking spaces, including 92 for general car parking.

Coun. Mike Clay, who voted against the plan, said he could not support creating five of the boat-trailer spaces (north of the Pajo's building) using permeable pavers. Clay said green space should not be taken away for parking. He supported the rest of the plan.

Mayor Joe Trasolini said the pavers would allow grass to grow through, but still create a usable parking surface. He said the area would look like the rest of the park most of the time.

In total, 62 boat-trailer parking spaces are planned north of Murray - approximately 12 parallel-parking spaces on Esplanade Drive, 16 temporary spaces at a Murray Street lot (Lot 54) and two parallel-parking spaces along Murray (west of the ramp and east of Esplanade).

The city is considering other potential boat-trailer parking areas, including a gravel lot (south of Columbia Street) that the city is looking at leasing from Mill & Timber Products Ltd. for weekends, and parking spaces at the West Coast Express Park & Ride lot that would be available year round during evenings and weekends.

Council also supported the installation of an additional floating dock on the west side of the main east pier (north of the existing float) to offset possible longer wait times for boaters parking vehicles.

published on 12/01/2006