Port Stanley scraps beach parking lot expansion plan after locals said no to paving dunes

The Municipality of Central Elgin will not expand a parking lot on one of Port Stanley's smaller beaches after numerous residents expressed concerns for how the development would jeopardize the area's safety and natural environment. 

At a special budget meeting on Monday, community members pushed back on the proposal to add more parking spaces at Erie Rest Beach, which sits west of the town's popular tourist beaches, because the process would pave over dunes that protect the lake's shoreline and prevent against flooding and high waves. 

The addition would have cost $92,000 but after hearing from residents, council decided to remove the proposal from its 2025 budget, Mayor Andrew Sloan told CBC News after the meeting.  

"We got a lot of great feedback from the community of Port Stanley and I think the cons on this outweighed the pros and some great points were made. We asked the public for feedback and they sure gave it to us, so I think it's a good day for Central Elgin," he said. 

A staff report recommended the municipality should "significantly increase" the current 15 parking spaces at the beach to 56, plus two accessible spaces, to accommodate more visitors and address a growing concern of illegal parking.  

It's the second time the municipality considered this parking lot expansion. It was first approved in Central Elgin's 2018 capital budget and was intended to build 100 parking spots but was later reduced to 56 after an initial shoreline assessment. In 2020, a councillor at the time asked council to rescind their decision and the project didn't move forward. 

It was being explored again because staff noticed an increase in parking-related complaints by Erie Rest Beach over the past two summers. Staff estimated the parking lot expansion would bring an extra $20,000 to $30,000 in paid parking revenue each year.

Those who live by the beach warned it doesn't have the capacity or lifeguards to handle an influx of visitors and roads around it aren't designed for a heavy flow of traffic, said James MacLean, who has lived on the beach since 2013.

"It's a small natural sandy area, it's not what you would consider a tourist beach like Main Beach and Little Beach. Those are wonderful beaches with amenities and ample parking," said MacLean. 

"[Erie Rest Beach] is in the middle of a residential neighbourhood that has no sidewalks, let alone shoulders, and has very narrow roads with blindspots. It's a natural area that's not groomed and it shouldn't ever be."

Jodi Burness lives 500 metres east of the beach and told council that more vehicles in the area will cause safety concerns like speeding and heavy traffic on an already poorly-maintained road.  

"To mitigate what is a perceived traffic or parking concern by creating and inviting more traffic is counter-intuitive. That road is so narrow that hardly two cars can get by and when you add vehicles that park inappropriately, you're exacerbating an existing problem," she said.

Lori Hisson visits the beach multiple times a week and although she agrees there's not enough parking, said it shouldn't come at the cost of ecological protection. 

"We could certainly use more parking but the fact that dunes absorb the impact of high waves and take care of the flooding is not something we want to lose," she said. 

MacLean said Port Stanley locals welcome growing tourism in the beach town but they also want its natural areas preserved. 

"It's a natural habitat, it should remain that way. There's wildlife and vegetation unique to the area that helps preserve the area from erosion and provides habitat so it should be protected," he said. "This isn't all about convenience, we need to preserve the natural area for our future."

Sloan said the municipality has parking plans and bylaw enforcement to make temporary parking spots in other areas as the busy summer season approaches.