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Starting Thursday, people who use the free parking spaces at the Century Park park and ride lot had to park in a new lot that’s further from the train station.

On Dec. 1, the city is moved the free parking spaces to another paved lot east of the paid parking stalls.

“The changes are necessary because the developers are trying to develop their privately owned land and so we need to make some changes,” Manuel Quilala, with the City of Edmonton, said.

READ MORE: Century Park LRT park and ride to disappear in less than 4 years

The new parking lot, which is connected to the transit centre through a paved walkway, holds the same number of free stalls as the existing free section, the city said.

The new lot will be accessible from 111 Street. Drivers can exit the lot onto 109 Street but they cannot enter the lot from 109 Street.

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“The current location right now, I call it the evacuated areas or evacuated parking areas, is approximately 200 metres from the transit centre,” Quilala said. “The new relocated area is about 530 metres.”

The changes will not affect the paid stalls.

A peace officer was expected to be on site on Thursday to help transit users navigate the changes. The new parking lot comes equipped with LED lighting, CCTV cameras and help phones.

“I expect the customers to see a lot of improvements because of our dedication to make sure our customers feel safe in our facilities. That’s our number one goal. Even though we’re transferring them, we’re making sure that the level of service is still the same.”

READ MORE: $1.08B federal-provincial transit deal will help build south Edmonton park & ride

Word of the new parking structure at Century Park came as the city released information about a public open house next Wednesday regarding the overall development of the site.

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The city hopes to rezone the Century Park site to make way for development of a high-density, mixed-use urban village.

The development application, which is under review by the city, outlines plans for a retail building, row housing and three apartment towers.

In addition, a development permit was issued for an apartment tower in the east-central part of the land, directly west of the Regent at Century Park developments.

The proposal would increase residential density in the area from 2,886 units to 4,500 units.

READ MORE: Big jump in paid park and ride stalls at Edmonton LRT stations starts Sept. 1

The rezoning process is expected to take at least 10 months, but could last longer.

By 2020, the lease on the Century Park park and ride will expire. The city is working on a plan for an alternative site for the park and ride, with a facility further south in Heritage Valley, over four kilometres away from Century Park.

A public house was held on Wednesday, Nov. 30 in the gym at Rideau Park School.