Traffic Panel Discusses Downtown On-Street Parking
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jennifer [email protected]
The report was from Warsaw’s downtown on-street parking subcommittee’s Feb. 22 meeting. Kip Shuter, traffic commission administrator, presented the report to the traffic commission.
The traffic commission and city council will need to approve the unrestricted parking spaces.
Shuter said the traffic commission will have a recommendation for on-street parking to the city council by early to mid-summer.
The on-street parking committee recommended that 60 unrestricted parking spaces for city employees and their employers be created that were once restricted to two-hour parking.
The spaces proposed are on the west side of Indiana Street north of Center Street for half a block; the east side of Lake Street south of Center Street for half a block; and the south side of Market Street between Buffalo and Indiana streets.
Some of the spaces will be created by changing some of the painting and markings at the locations.
“I think the committee has done a great job of identifying 60 spaces that city employees can park in that were once restricted, so that is very encouraging,” Thallemer said. “I am very sensitive to the merchants. You don’t want to block someone out but at the same token if there are some spots we can weasel them in and create some unrestricted spots, that helps.”
Thallemer said the 60 unrestricted parking spots will be an improvement and good first step.
Shuter will conduct an inventory of handicap spaces to set a standard for locations of handicap parking spots.
The on-street parking committee also discussed working with the county and downtown businesses to have employees park in their own furnished lots.
Tim Dombrosky, assistant city planner, said the goal is to identify areas of two-hour on-street parking that are at capacity currently, and identifying two-hour parking areas that are underutilized.
“What this is doing is removing the two hour on street parking spots that are underutilized from the two hour parking restriction and making them unlimited,” Dombrosky said. “The intent is to incentivize the employees to park in those new unrestricted spaces that are within closer walking distances than what they would have now.”
Instead of penalizing employees who move cars every two hours, they want to incentivize them to park a couple blocks farther out and leave there cars there and walk to their businesses.
Mike Klondaris, traffic commission member, said parking has been an issue as long as he has been a businessman and always will be.
He said he wishes the city could afford a parking garage and said that would solve problems, but it is expensive. The cost for a parking garage is $3.5 million, Klondaris said.
“It’s because the downtown is becoming more popular. It’s a good problem to have, we just have to learn how to manage it,” Dombrosky said.
Missy Cook, Giverny Fitness Studio owner, attended the meeting and spoke about parking in the Municipal Lot.
“If feel it is really important to have a clear and easy to understand lot that is open to the public that people understand it is a public lot for parking,” Cook said.
Cook said she felt there is a need to have three-hour parking spots for customers in the Municipal Lot because there are meetings that last three to four hours, and people park in the Municipal Lot that takes up parking spaces.
[[In-content Ad]]
The report was from Warsaw’s downtown on-street parking subcommittee’s Feb. 22 meeting. Kip Shuter, traffic commission administrator, presented the report to the traffic commission.
The traffic commission and city council will need to approve the unrestricted parking spaces.
Shuter said the traffic commission will have a recommendation for on-street parking to the city council by early to mid-summer.
The on-street parking committee recommended that 60 unrestricted parking spaces for city employees and their employers be created that were once restricted to two-hour parking.
The spaces proposed are on the west side of Indiana Street north of Center Street for half a block; the east side of Lake Street south of Center Street for half a block; and the south side of Market Street between Buffalo and Indiana streets.
Some of the spaces will be created by changing some of the painting and markings at the locations.
“I think the committee has done a great job of identifying 60 spaces that city employees can park in that were once restricted, so that is very encouraging,” Thallemer said. “I am very sensitive to the merchants. You don’t want to block someone out but at the same token if there are some spots we can weasel them in and create some unrestricted spots, that helps.”
Thallemer said the 60 unrestricted parking spots will be an improvement and good first step.
Shuter will conduct an inventory of handicap spaces to set a standard for locations of handicap parking spots.
The on-street parking committee also discussed working with the county and downtown businesses to have employees park in their own furnished lots.
Tim Dombrosky, assistant city planner, said the goal is to identify areas of two-hour on-street parking that are at capacity currently, and identifying two-hour parking areas that are underutilized.
“What this is doing is removing the two hour on street parking spots that are underutilized from the two hour parking restriction and making them unlimited,” Dombrosky said. “The intent is to incentivize the employees to park in those new unrestricted spaces that are within closer walking distances than what they would have now.”
Instead of penalizing employees who move cars every two hours, they want to incentivize them to park a couple blocks farther out and leave there cars there and walk to their businesses.
Mike Klondaris, traffic commission member, said parking has been an issue as long as he has been a businessman and always will be.
He said he wishes the city could afford a parking garage and said that would solve problems, but it is expensive. The cost for a parking garage is $3.5 million, Klondaris said.
“It’s because the downtown is becoming more popular. It’s a good problem to have, we just have to learn how to manage it,” Dombrosky said.
Missy Cook, Giverny Fitness Studio owner, attended the meeting and spoke about parking in the Municipal Lot.
“If feel it is really important to have a clear and easy to understand lot that is open to the public that people understand it is a public lot for parking,” Cook said.
Cook said she felt there is a need to have three-hour parking spots for customers in the Municipal Lot because there are meetings that last three to four hours, and people park in the Municipal Lot that takes up parking spaces.
[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092