Vacant Osborne Village parking lot eyed for redevelopment

A fenced-off parking lot in the heart of Osborne Village could finally be getting a new lease on life.

The city is in a new round of negotiations to sell the property at Stradbrook and Osborne for redevelopment.

A fence has blocked off it for the last couple of years, creating an eyesore for neighbours like Leanora Miller.

It’s just an empty space that’s wasted,” Miller told CTV News.

The wasted space is also inconvenient for drivers like Marianna Barabash, who tried to pull into the lot to pick up food from a restaurant.

"I was looking for parking, I pulled into here and there's a fence,” Barabash said.

The city acquired the corner in 1965, and it became a 20 space surface parking lot. In 2021, the city's property committee agreed to sell it for $1.6 million to a private business for a redevelopment.

The sale plans stalled however, because after the committee’s approval, soil contamination was discovered on the site that was once home to a service station. The lot remained closed as a result.

Osborne Village Biz Executive Director Zohreh Gervais said while the city is trying to figure things out, it would be nice to have the lot open.

The city was generating around $90,000 a year when it was operational.

"To have a lot that could be used for parking fenced off, yeah, it's been a bit of a sore point for some of the businesses around here,” Gervais said.

However, things may be moving along now as a bid process for soil remediation recently closed, and the city confirms it is negotiating with the same business it agreed to sell to in 2021.

Zohreh Gervais said the prospects of new development here – whether for residential, commercial, or a mix of both, would be a welcome addition to the neighbourhood.

“It's best use is what we're looking for, so whatever it is that's going to bring the most people, the most bang for their buck you know in terms of coming to the area, that's what we're looking for,” Gervais said.

The city said the soil remediation is expected to be done by the end of the year, with construction plans to follow.