AMSTERDAM — Officials plan to work with business owners to come up with a solution to downtown parking issues in Amsterdam after a proposed ordinance was criticized that would have set time limits for weekday parking on Main Street.
“Something has to be done with parking, but I don’t think this is going to work,” said Regina Flint, of G’s Famous Lemon Cookies, on Tuesday. “It’s a waste of time and money.”
Mayor Michael Cinquanti said the ordinance was developed to address complaints the city received from downtown business owners.
Now, Cinquanti plans to facilitate discussion between proprietors to gauge how parking issues can best be addressed. He will also suggest forming a downtown business association fostering closer collaboration and enabling merchants to “speak with one voice” when problems arise.
“This will happen if not everybody participates in that discussion,” Cinquanti said of the reaction to the ordinance.
The Common Council tabled action on the ordinance that would have established time limit parking downtown. A 15-minute limit would apply to spaces between 2 and 10 and 44 and 56 Main St. Monday through Friday 8 a.m to 5 p.m.
A 60-minute limit would apply to spaces between 35 and 49 Main St. during the same weekday hours. Large portions of downtown would have been left out of the ordinance as written. No restrictions would have been placed on spaces west of 35 Main St. or between 12 and 42 Main St.
Officials pointed to the likelihood the proposal will be revised or a new ordinance will be introduced to address concerns brought to light by Flint during a scheduled public hearing. Another public hearing would be required in the future in either scenario.
“We’re trying to establish a parking system that works for everyone,” Cinquanti said. “I would certainly prefer to get it right.”
The ordinance was aimed at supporting downtown businesses by ensuring spaces are available to customers and visitors. Setting time limits would discourage apartment dwellers, workers and others from monopolizing parking spaces in front of shops during regular business hours.
However, Flint said limiting parking on weekdays only would not address the biggest issues she has from cars parking all day long in front of her bakery at 44 Main St. She and her husband own the mixed-use building with retail spaces on the ground floor and apartments upstairs.
Parking spaces are often filled on weekends during tournaments hosted by Sharp Shooters Billiards Pub at 35 Main St., according to Flint.
“They cover the streets — everywhere along all of the sides. They’re parking in the bus spots now,” Flint said. “I’ve got people calling me that they won’t come down … the weekend is crucial.”
Owners of the pool hall and team managers have reportedly asked their patrons not to park in front of the bakery where parking is already limited to 15 minutes at all times. Flint said it hasn’t helped and she has resorted to reporting cars violating the parking rule to city police.
“It’s great that they come in,” Flint said. “Everybody has to succeed down there.”
Sharp Shooters did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
During the week, Flint said spaces are often occupied by employees of businesses at the Riverfront Center parking downtown instead of in the lots at the mall across the street. She added that workers often ignore the existing time limit and park in front of the bakery.
Police Chief John Thomas acknowledged the single parking sign in front of G’s Famous Lemon Cookies causes confusion. It’s unclear which spaces the sign applies to with arrows pointing in opposite directions. It is expected to be replaced by Department of Public Works staff.
“If you see any violations, call the station. I think once people start getting tickets they’ll understand,” Thomas said.
While the city reconsiders downtown parking rules, Cinquanti said he will connect with owners of the mall and pool hall to try to quickly address those issues. He noted there is ample parking at the mall and suggested there may be opportunities for Sharp Shooters to partner with other businesses to share space in their parking lots during tournaments.
“It’s an amazing thing that so many people are going down there to play billiards,” Cinquanti said. “Getting more people downtown is a good thing.”
“You can’t park there forever,” he added. “There’s a lot of things going on down there. People living, people working, people shopping and we’re trying to create a system that permits people to have a place that’s convenient.”
Meanwhile, the Common Council approved a separate parking ordinance prohibiting parking at all times on the west side of Taft Place between Harding and Roosevelt streets. The ban is intended to address neighborhood complaints due to families parking behind the baseball field at Veterans Park during youth games.
The city will install parking lots near the baseball field on Taft Place and outdoor basketball courts on Locust Avenue to provide convenient access to those popular amenities. The timing of those projects will depend in part on the seasonal opening of asphalt plants.
