Dover City Planner Ann Marie Townshend admits the new parking plan for the state capital’s downtown area could have been rolled out more smoothly.
At a meeting of the Dover Downtown Partnership Wednesday night, she asked a group of frustrated business owners to give the new plan a chance to play out.
"We didn’t come here tonight to make excuses, to say that we handled everything as the DDP perfectly," said Townshend. "I know we should have handled it better. And if we could turn back the clock I think we would have."
The DDP unveiled new changes to the parking plan due to take effect in downtown Dover starting March 1. Those changes were made to address business owners’ concerns about offering enough space for customers and staff close to their stores and restaurants.
Townshend says DDP worked with property owners to create a more "efficient" layout that reduced access points and created more parking spaces on the North Street lot.
In the Bradford Street lot, DDP added back in ten two hour free parking spots, along with a number of metered spots.
All of the changes made by DDP were designed to provide a fair mix between permit, metered and free parking in the downtown area.
Still, a number of business owners said their underlying concern was not addressed: specifically that 85 employees of a new EZ Pass office are being offered parking spaces, taking them away from other seeking to park in the area. The 85 spaces were a condition of the company’s lease agreement.
DDP President Gregg Moore says that his concern isn’t parking, it’s finding more business for downtown.
"I think filling the vacancies is as big an issue, if not bigger, than the parking," said Moore. "I think having more offerings in the vacant buildings is a bigger issue than what’s bubbling out of tonight’s meeting."
City Manager Scott Koenig said the discourse being held about parking in the downtown area reflects a positive growth trend; he says that Dover is “one or two” developments away from having a traffic problem, facilitating the need for a parking garage.
