A public meeting was held last night on a proposal by Sonco Group to develop the AP Parking Garage in downtown St. John’s.
The proposal involves building a four storey hotel on top of the garage, special screening around the existing garage, and the development of a retail area on the main level.
Several people rose at the meeting to raise concerns about the structural design of the building, height, the impacts of the hotel and its construction on nearby businesses, and on whether or not the proposal is viable given provincial occupancy rates – which as of 2017 were at 55 per cent for the Avalon region.
As well, concern was raised about how well the development will fit in culturally with the area. The developers maintain that it will complement the downtown well.
One of the people who attended last night’s meeting, Paul Dean , says he fails to see how the proposal adds to downtown’s cultural scene. In fact, he believes it would detract from the downtown.
The developer says, if approved, they hope to begin work on the project in 2020.