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RICHMOND HILL - Mayor Bill Bell announced today that a major expansion will soon be underway of parking facilities for commuters using the Richmond Hill GO Station. Approximately 400 new parking spots will be created thanks to the efforts of the Town and Members of Council.
At the request of the Town, GO Transit agreed to jointly finance the acquisition of land on the east side of Newkirk Road and Major Mackenzie Drive, providing for 400 more parking spaces at the station. "The existing GO station parking was inadequate to meet the current and anticipated demands of future commuters," said the Mayor. "That's why we urged GO Transit to buy more land and why we offered to contribute almost 1/3 of the $2.1 million acquisition cost." He added, "The assistance of former GO Transit Chair Eldred King and of York Region Chair, Bill Fisch helped make the expansion a reality. It will certainly relieve the current congestion caused by overflow parking." The Mayor explained, "This is a significant expansion." With the acquisition of the land complete, GO Transit will build an expanded parking lot, expected to be finished within the year. Nearly 2,000 passengers currently use the Richmond Hill GO station every day.
Arnie Warner, Councillor for Ward 2, commented, "Congestion on local streets had become increasingly problematic. I was really pleased to see GO Transit open 200 temporary spaces earlier this year and I am even more pleased that additional spots will be added to the area soon."
This is the second major partnership between the Town of Richmond Hill and GO Transit. The Town, GO Transit and the Region of York worked together previously to acquire land for commuter parking for the future Langstaff Transit Gateway, located at Highway 7 and Yonge Street.
The Town of Richmond Hill is committed to improving public transit as outlined in its new Strategic Plan. This initiative meets all of these objectives and demonstrates the importance of working with other groups/associations in meeting the needs of Richmond Hill residents today and for the future.
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