By Gretchen Webster
After more than three years of planning, the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee (DPIC) took a step forward on Thursday to address Westport’s downtown parking problems by recommending a four-step action plan.
Under the plan, the town will roll out each initiative one at a time for six to 12 months, study the results, and determine whether to go forward with the next step, Randy Herbertson, chairman of the DPIC, said at the committee’s meeting on Thursday.
The DPIC’s word isn’t final; the Board of Selectwomen and other town bodies–at dates to be determined–still need to approve the plan.
The four initiatives of the Downtown Parking Management Plan are:
- Spot reassignment
- Metered parking
- Permit parking
- Structured parking
Spot reassignment
The DPIC hopes to reassign spots as soon as the plan is approved. The “reassignment” would decrease the number of all-day spaces in the downtown core and increase the number of short-term spaces. Time limits for on-street parking on Main Street would be reduced from three to two hours. The three-hour spaces in downtown parking lots, including the Parker Harding and Baldwin lots, would remain at three hours.
BFJ Planning, the town’s consultant, told the DPIC in March that more parking spaces with shorter time limits will improve circulation of cars and people in the downtown area, which they consider key to better parking management.
Metered parking
Though metered parking was not favored by the majority of people answering the consultant’s survey it is “a further incentive for timed parking compliance and turnover,” according to the parking management plan. “Most Fairfield County towns currently have metered parking, so this is not creating a new precedent locally or beyond.”
Permit parking
Parking permits for downtown employees would address a big issue. Merchants have long been in favor of this idea. Permits for spots closer to the downtown core would cost more than permits away from the core. Merchants have reported that, currently, employees at times have to leave work to move their cars from timed spaces, or circle around to find and empty space.
Structured parking
Having a parking deck downtown will not be considered until the other steps in the management plan are implemented, Herbertson said. Although a parking structure in the Baldwin lot has been favored by many residents, the cost should first be considered, he said.
“Beyond the aesthetic impact to be considered, this will be a costly initiative to undertake, both in terms of construction and ongoing maintenance, and should only be considered once all other initiatives have been undertaken and proven inadequate,” the consultant said in the report.
Survey respondents listed the visual/aesthetic impact of a parking structure and its potential cost as their primary concerns. Building a one level parking structure at Baldwin was estimated at around five million dollars by BJF Planning at a DPIC meeting in January.
After the survey and parking management report were presented, several merchants said they were unhappy with the DPIC’s recommendations about improving downtown parking. Merchants have often complained that they have not been involved in the planning process (here and here), and their needs have not been adequately considered.
Laureen Hayes of the Chocolatieree chocolate shop, 66 Church Lane, asked if the link to the survey was shared with merchants and their employees. “It seems that this survey is designed to get the answers you want,” she said. “You’re trying to get turnover [of customers]. We do not want turnover. We want people to spend more time in Westport,” she said.
Merchants were not involved at all in the process, said Alan Cohen, of the ElixirSpa, 163 Main Street. “The merchants have been dismissed and relegated to a secondary role without much input,” he said.
Sounds reasonable…. hmmmm… how odd for it to make sense…
Laureen Hayes has a point–definitely some push-polling going on here.
Also a heaping spoonful of Screw What the Town Wants; We Know Better: <>
We’re chipping away at everything that made Westport special.
Thanks, Stacy. To be clear, what the DPIC is proposing does not add parking spaces to replace the 40+ that would be lost at Parker Harding. Instead, they are going to position that by increasing turnover, they will virtually add those spaces back. But there is no substitute for physically available spots — and the reality is, no new spaces would actually be created (structure or other). We would be down another 40 spaces in downtown.
To understand how this could affect residents and visitors: imagine coming downtown for a day like today — to shop the Sidewalk Sale, have lunch, and watch the Great Duck Race. Maybe you even pop into the library to grab that book you put on hold. Under this plan, you’d be limited to a two- or three-hour stay. Move your car mid-day? Risk a ticket. Stay longer? You’re out of luck. And, again, there are less spots to choose from. And less all-day spots available near where you want to park.
And how does this support future downtown development like the River Walk? Or events like the Fine Arts Festival and Westoberfest, which draw people to spend the entire day in town? How about closing more streets for events that eliminate more parking?
Where are people who need to park for more than three hours supposed to go? Who is going to scan a QR code while driving to figure it out — something that’s not only unsafe but also illegal? With so much concern about the Hamlet and where employees will park, how about for businesses in downtown?
Downtown should be welcoming, convenient, and vibrant. As a business district, business-friendly Let’s not undermine its accessibility by removing essential infrastructure.
Loreen
I see your point, indeed. Shopping the yearly Sidewalk Sale; watching the yearly Great Duck Race; lunching downtown and then getting the library book I’ve had on hold is quite an exhausting day. Who would have the energy to move their car mid-day? I’m exhausted just thinking about it. Oh, can you please tell me, how many of these death-march days are there every year? Thanks. Now I need to get some rest. I’m going downtown tomorrow.
PS: I figured out a way to scan the parking QR code without it being unsafe or illegal. While I know my solution is a bit complicated I really think it’s do-able: Pull over. Put your car in Park. Scan the QR code. Put the car back in Park. Carefully pull out anf follow the parking directions given. If you have any problems with this procedure pleade don’t hesitate to reach out. Good Luck!