Winnipeg art store wins battle with city hall over parking lot requirements

The owner of a Winnipeg art supply store says she can finally take her focus off asphalt and put it back on artists.

Artists Emporium won its appeal against the City of Winnipeg's decision to require the business to pave 11,400 square feet behind its new location at 580 Roseberry St. in the St. James industrial park to use as a parking lot.

The original decision was based on the city's commercial parking lot requirements, which the business decided to appeal. 

Owner Janeen Junson says she already has parking spots in the front, and she'd much rather use that area as green space.

The whole ordeal has pushed back her business's reopening, and forced her to lay off staff, reduce hours and store inventory while she took on the city.

 "You know, it's very stressful financially and emotionally, too, to just be waiting and waiting for 7½ months to even finish our renovations," she said.

Under the city's parking requirement bylaws, the location would be zoned for retail, which means the business needs one parking spot for every 250 square feet of floor area over 2,000 square feet.

The bylaw also states that the parking lot should be paved. But Junson said that would cost her more than $100,000. 

Junson and nine other people were registered to speak in support of the appeal.

But Coun. John Orlikow cut it short after the first speech, since he said the committee already knew they were going to side with the owner. 

St. James Coun. Scott Gillingham, who is running for mayor, also supported the group. 

"I think today I'm glad common sense prevailed. This is a situation where the variance is completely in order," he said. 

He said he thinks the bylaw should be looked at to make it more friendly to small businesses.

"We need to assist small business, not put barriers in their way," he said.

Now, Junson says she can focus on opening her business again to artists in the community. 

"Now we can do everything that we dreamed of."