That's the kind of setup that I was thinking. There would be a dedicated parking section for the retail stores, which would be either closed off or monitored during the morning peak period, but open the rest of the day. 1hr parking strictly enforced.
Complexities like dividing parking lots, limited time parking, monitoring who parks where, etc etc are fine.....but in land rich suburbia they are complexities that the retailers (and, more relevantly, retail developers) do not have to deal with if they simply locate on existing availalbe land that may, actually, be near the GO station.
In fact, I would imagine that during the snowy winter months these stores may actually be an advantage, because of the covered parking spots.
These GO parking structures would not be the only covered parking in (m)any city's retail landscape. If covered parking was such an advantage, the trend away from malls to big box/value centres would not be as prevelant as it has been for the past, what, 20 years.
And as for the "they just want to get home" thing, consider this: How many people pick up something along the way home (something for dinner for example)? Quite a few. The convenience factor here is pretty huge.
Sure, sometimes people stop on their way home. Is it the majority...I doubt it. Is it a signifcant minority....I kinda doubt that too. The problem with anecdotal comments like that is that there are equally persuasive counter anecdotal comments. The Brampton GO station (as an example) has lots of convenient places (as easily walkable as a the far end of a large parking strucutre would be) to pick up a wide variety of foods to take home....or bottles of wine, etc. Yet I am sure if you sat there and counted how many people did that before getting in their cars the number would be a very (hard to measure) small percentage of the people getting off the trains.
And again, I don't think the "they haven't done it, therefore it isn't worth doing/doesn't work" really flies as a rationale. GO hasn't introduced 30 minute all-day service on all lines either. Does that mean it isn't worth doing?
I never said it was not worth doing....I am just simply trying to add a retailers persepctive on why it might not have happened. It would be a very bold move by GO to build a parking structure with ground floor retail at one of their stations. One that I might even encourage them to attempt...but I don't think it is retail build it and they will come.... I think the points I am raising are the same ones that any retail partner they approached would raise and as long as there is available retail lands nearby, the retail developer will (IMO) opt for those simpler solutions.
Again, the focus really should be on projects that are (per ShonTron's description) like Milton. Somehow co-ordinated with GO rather than on GO property. I will have to go have a look at that but that sounds like work was done more at the municipal level than by,either, GO or the retail developer. Sorta "we have two properties across from each other, one a train station and one a retail centre....how do we work the access/egress, roadway and traffic signals to best serve both and encourage (at least not discourage) cross-usage?"