Toronto Parking Authority Wins Award of Excellence for Claremont St. Car Park September 15, 2014

Official Opening and Awards Ceremony September 16

TORONTO, ONTARIO – (Sept. 15, 2014) – The Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) is pleased to announce that the Green P+ Car Park at 201 Claremont Street has been recognized by the International Parking Institute (IPI) 2014 with the Award of Excellence for best Design/Implementation of a Surface Parking Lot.

The Claremont Street Green P+ car park has been praised by neighboring communities for meeting and exceeding the city’s development and greening standards for surface parking facilities. The 43-space lot has created a new green standard for TPA and has inspired other development projects now in the works.

The TPA in cooperation with the City of Toronto will hold an official opening of its newest Municipal Parking Facility, Carpark 251, and an Awards Ceremony on September 16, 2014. Details of the Ceremony are as follows:

What: 
Ribbon Cutting and Awards Ceremony for Carpark 251

Where: 
201 Claremont St. (Ward 19 Trinity Spadina)

When: 
Tuesday September 16, 2014

Participants:
Toronto Parking Authority
City of Toronto
Trinity Bellwoods BIA
Project Participants

Designed in consultation with the local community, the lot accommodates existing and future short-term public parking needs while aesthetically improving its neighborhood.

"We are thrilled to be recognized by the IPI for our design of the Claremont St. car park," said TPA President Lorne Persiko. "This lot design reflects our goal to create a citywide network of community-centric parking locations. We believe it is important to do our part for a greener, cleaner environment and we want our parking lots to reflect the communities in which they are located."

The parking lot’s unique features include:

• A paved area that provides pedestrian connections and seating areas.
• Permeable pavers in drive aisles to facilitate a sustainable stormwater management system.
• Lighter colour materials and tree plantings that reduce the urban heat island effect.
• A unique living wall of live willows and raised concrete planting beds to screen the parking area, reduce salt damage, and protect neighbors from pedestrian traffic.
• Native plantings, specifically chosen for seasonal interest and year-round screening.

In a news release announcing the winners, IPI Executive Director Shawn Conrad, CAE stated "The 2014 winners showcase how significantly parking facilities and operations have been transformed in recent years as a result of advances in technology focused on efficiency and sustainability. It’s fair to say parking is transforming communities, making them greener, easier to navigate, and certainly more livable."

A panel of judges that included city, airport, and university officials, architects, and, parking corporations, selected the winners.

 

About the TPA:
The Toronto Parking Authority is a self-sustaining public corporation owned by the City of Toronto. It contributes significant revenues to the City’s general reserves while successfully meeting its mandate to provide safe, attractive, conveniently located and competitively priced off and on-street public parking, required by commercial strips and neighbouring residential areas to survive. Recognized as a world leader in parking technology services the Parking Authority has been successful in ensuring that businesses in these areas continue to grow and the neighbourhoods remain vibrant.