Vancouver approves lower Chinatown parking fees

Street parking fees around Vancouver’s Chinatown neighbourhood will be dropping.

City council has agreed to a flat-rate hourly fee of $2 for street parking in a six-block area, from Pender to Union streets, and Gore Avenue to Tinseltown.

“This is really a good-news story for Chinatown and another step forward to restoring the neighbourhood after a number of, I would say, disastrous years and helping us to bring visitors and tourists back into the neighbourhood,” said Jordan Eng with the Chinatown Business Improvement Association.

“The BIA and our constituents of Chinatown have been working on this even before COVID. I see there’s been three directives from council, back in November 2020, April of 2022, and most lately, in February 2023, so thank you again to staff for working with us to make this happen.”

The Vancouver Chinatown Millennium Gate marks the entrance to the city’s famed neighbourhood. (CityNews Image)

Currently, on-street parking in the area ranges from $1 to $5 per hour during the day.

Eng previously told OMNI News the change in price could make a big difference to businesses. He added the area has seen its struggles over the past few years, with reports of crime and vandalism.

That’s on top of the pandemic, which shuttered and left a lingering effect on businesses.

Earlier this year, the federal government committed almost $2 million in funding to revitalize the Chinatown neighbourhood, with the money earmarked for the modernization of infrastructure and to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal funding came after the city promised $2.1 million in its “Uplifting Chinatown” project, which included cleaning and sanitation plans.

Related articles: 

• Federal government commits $1.8M to revitalizing Vancouver’s Chinatown

• Chinese-Canadians celebrate their history in Vancouver, B.C.’s Chinatown

• Vancouver City Council unanimously approves the Uplifting Chinatown Action Plan

While Eng is elated with the drop in parking fees, he says more is needed to help Chinatown.

“I would like to see council give a directive to staff to work on the Chinatown plaza. The parkade sits virtually empty most days and has the potential to be a major anchor for the neighbourhood. Efforts to address the problem with the parkade, I would say, have been weaker or lacklustre,” he said.

He says in addition to the parking fee initiative, the BIA has also been working to increase lighting, is putting together a safe walk program, and is undertaking graffiti removal in the area.

The new $2-an-hour rate will take effect June 1.

-With files from OMNI News