By Ruby Truax
It’s not news to anyone that we have a parking problem in our town.
There are four municipal parking lots downtown with 150 spaces in total, plus some parking along side streets. The town allows two hours free parking along Main Street as well, but during special events such as last weekend’s SnowFest, when Main Street is closed off, those parking spaces are lost. So during special events, and particularly in the summer months with the influx of visitors, municipal parking in our town is woefully inadequate.
But that’s not the whole problem.
There are a number of private parking lots in town, totalling about twice as many spaces as the municipal lots. These private lots are clearly posted as reserved for clients only, but are routinely abused by people who park in them without patronizing the businesses. This is frustrating not only to the business owners, but to their customers as well, who find the lot full and have to search for another place to park. The police don’t have the authority to deal with parking violations on private property, nor do they have the resources. So private lot owners have to resort to towing unauthorized vehicles.
During SnowFest this past weekend, the owner of one of these private lots charged $5 for unauthorized vehicles to park for the day. Not an unreasonable fee by any standard, but many people were outraged, and lashed out on social media. The gist of the complaints was, “We’ve been parking there for free for years. How dare he charge us?”
It’s hard to understand this feeling of entitlement about not only this lot, but all of the private lots in town. The owners pay taxes, insurance and maintenance for them, so they have the right to decide who they allow to park on their property. The argument that “we’ve always parked there” doesn’t mean it was acceptable, nor that it has to continue.
Every summer this parking problem gets worse, particularly during special events. But it doesn’t solve anything for people to lash out at private parking lot owners for trying to control who uses their property. They have no obligation to take up the slack. If you find yourself circling around and around trying in vain to find a parking space, don’t look with resentment at empty spots in private lots. Focus your frustration in the right direction.
Our town often approves development with insufficient parking by charging a “Parking-in-Lieu” fee, which only exacerbates our parking shortage. The new development at 19 Main Street East is an example of this. Fourteen more commercial units downtown, but not enough spaces created for customers and employees to park.
Maybe it’s time for our town to stop allowing this exemption and concentrate on creating sufficient parking in our downtown. Perhaps the owner of the private lot at 96 Main Street would be interested in selling. It’s almost two acres, and offers more than just parking in terms of options to expand for other activities.
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In an ideal world we would not be needing to park a whole bunch of cars but for the foreseeable future we need to face the fact that most visitors to Huntsville will come by car as there is no viable alternative, especially for those living in the countryside around the town.
A multi story above ground parking lot would be a great asset. The traffic volume is generally lower in winter so one could simply leave the top unused in winter and avoid the need to clear snow and apply salt. Come summer, when more parking is needed it would be available.
I wondered about the lot behind the Royal Bank but it is not really big enough for multi story parking.
The old Empire lot? Maybe but it would need to be mostly underground as Christine Rivière-Anderson says and that would be very expensive to dig that deep. It is also not all that big when it comes to being a garage.
A parking garage need not be an eyesore. Sure it needs to be mostly concrete but it can be textured and have openings in it and maybe it could be covered with vines and vegetation on some sides too.
Possibly, the top need not be used for parking at all. It could be made into a green roof with some shops or cafe/restaurant on it. Looking at the parking lot next to John Street/Canvas Brewery/Beer lake this area looks almost ideal if a suitable foundation can be achieved and the owner will work with the town. It is big, close to pretty much everything and for years has just sat there. One could enter off Main Street and exit on John??? or something like that. If it was maybe a story or two above Main street there would be a nice view from the top, This might work.
They sure do need more parking at the Summit Centre. At one time there was to be a foot bridge across the river so that parking could be over near FariVern for big events but this was dropped from the G-8 largess. Maybe it could be looked at again?
Just a few thoughts to get people thinking.
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I park just outside of the downtown core and walk just a few short blocks to work every day, leaving prime parking for customers nearer the downtown stores. Let’s all walk to work.
I have lived here for two years now, and was a frequent visitor for many years before that. I shop in town, have appointments in town, use the waterfront access points, and attend many community events downtown and at the park. And I have never had difficulty finding somewhere to park, nor have I ever felt that where I parked was an unreasonable distance from where I wanted to be. Maybe people want to park right close to where they are going to be, and are unwilling to walk even a little. Maybe people want to find a parking spot instantly upon arrival, and are unwilling to take even a minute or two to search for and find something suitable. A slower, more laid back lifestyle is what I came here to enjoy. Why ruin it getting frustrated because you can’t park within a few feet of where you want to be, and within a few seconds of arriving? Slow down, relax, take it easy, and chill.
I find most days I want to shop downtown, there is seldom a parking spot available. It is really frustrating so we choose to shop elsewhere in town.
The Summit Centre is another place that has insufficient parking. Check it out at 8:30 a.m.
If we think we’re experiencing a problem now, what will it be like when the Main Street sidewalks are widened and more parking spaces are eliminated?
Great article Ruby, the town has created this mess. Sadly this is why we have a parking lot
instead of a park in our downtown core. It’s insulting to everyone who has lived in Huntsville that the generosity of the Nickall’s family is being wasted on a parking lot. It leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth. How could they have squandered such a golden opportunity? Why bother having a planning department when the town is aloud to deviate at its discretion. The damage is done now, and I’m sure the cost of alleviating the parking problem will far outweigh the revenue the town received to create the problem in the first place. This is what happens when you elect people to govern who are short sighted and fail to realize the implications their decisions will have in the future.
Public consultations are just window dressing when you have an agenda.
I agree with Terry Clarke that a multi level parking lot is the solution.
However, it would be a really ugly structure when we are trying hard to maintain the quaint look of our town which is what attracts tourists and residents to Huntsville and Muskoka in general.
So, I suggest a multilevel parking lot… underground with a park on top at street level!
Now, that would be a lot more pleasant and efficient, wouldn’t it?
Besides, car parked there would be snow free in the winter and remain cool during the summer season.
I agree with Terry. Time to look at multi level
Parking. Better use of space downtown.
That’s one of our town’s four municipal parking lots, Ray.
Who owns the parking lot between the bell building and the funeral home I know a lot of town employees park there but is it private or owned by the town. Parking is one reason i never stop on main st. unless I have to and that is not often.
Maybe it is time for a multilevel parking area downtown …. maybe the former Empire…. and the look at a cooperative deal with the owner of the land across the bridge…. on the left…. an organized cooperative plan would add to the growth of Huntsville Business and address part of the Parking problem…..