By Susan Elise Campbell
A paid parking proposal before the Saratoga Springs City Council had many local business owners scratching their heads for the past few months, but a simpler approach is now in the works.
The multi-faceted proposal seen in news media and spearheaded by Department of Public Works Commissioner Jason Golub calls for the City-owned parking garages and surface lots north of Spring Street, east of Broadway, and north of Division Street to the west to charge a fee of $2 per hour from the time of entry.
Paid parking would only be in effect for the summer, but residents and businesses get permits to park for free.
“A growing city like Saratoga Springs needs to consider how it can pay for, and expand, services that support a booming tourist industry and our residents,” said Commissioner Golub. “Investing into the downtown corridor and streamlining visitor parking without balancing it on the back of the taxpayers was one of the primary goals of the seasonal parking program.”
While Broadway was deemed to remain meter-free and accessible by all, the original proposal designated several blocks of parking spaces on streets adjacent to Broadway as “permit only” or “two-hour free or permit only,” according to a presentation Commissioner Golub made to the Downtown Business Association members and their guests. The forum was at DBA’s invitation and held at City Hall on February 15, 2024, according to Joseph Vidarte, a Merrill Lynch financial advisor who has worked from an office on Broadway since 2017.
The full proposal was submitted one week later to City Council.
“With the first proposal, our team wanted to try to solve existing and predict future problems with downtown parking, but with the broader scope came some additional concerns,” said the Commissioner.
Those concerns included the “confusing” allotment of spaces that were to be permit-only or two-hour limited parking, according to Vidarte. Then things changed.
“We will start with a smaller and more manageable program for seasonal parking, only impacting the garages and surface lots,” Commissioner Golub said. “The downtown streets will be left as-is.”
Another tweak was to shorten the season from Memorial Day to Labor Day instead of May 1st through September 30th, said Vidarte.
Vidarte is on the board of directors for the Downtown Business Association and is also a resident whose “whole life revolves around the City” of Saratoga Springs. He indicated that at best the proposed parking space designations, if implemented in the future, would be “confusing for tourists and non-permitted” visitors to downtown.
At worst, “some business owners felt it wouldn’t be good for business,” although he said he personally does not believe people would refuse to visit the Broadway district “because they may have to pay to park.”
“When drafting this proposal, the team reviewed years of discussions on parking, how paid parking works in similar municipalities, and what might work here,” said the Commissioner.
“But I don’t think Newport, RI and Rutland, VT are comparable communities,” Vidarte said.
Business owners who have been more vocal than others, pushing back and starting petitions since details of the proposal were unveiled, have been heard.
Vidarte cited one businessman he knows well who has a retail store downtown and 30 years of experience and who “knows what happens when you change things.”
However, Commissioner Golub has announced that street parking will remain “free and unchanged for all. Time limits will be reviewed but permits will not be required.”
If approved the DPW’s plan will be implemented to coincide with Saratoga’s racing season with infrastructure changes starting this month or next. Commissioner Golub said that “making sure that parking is well communicated and available during Belmont weekend was considered as part of this proposal, but not a primary driver of our timing.”
According to charts presented by the Department of Public Works to the DBA, “next steps” after February include receiving “Stakeholder Input,” making a “Public Announcement,” making any needed “changes to the City code,” utilizing “contracts with vendors for pay stations” and the “permit program,” an “Install” period during March/April, a “Test” period in April, and an “Implement” goal of May 1, 2024, which is likely now changed to Memorial Day weekend.
After the summer tourist season paid parking areas will revert to free parking as it had been, according to the proposal.
“But what is to stop the City from keeping the fees 24/7 for the rest of the year?” said Vidarte.
A primary goal of the plan is to increase revenue to the City of Saratoga Springs without increasing resident taxes, so Vidarte raises an interesting question.
Other stated goals are the following, according to the same presentation material provided to DBA: “Increase the availability of resident parking; Increase the ease of access to parking for visitors; Increase customers for businesses with a long term parking plan; Decrease parking confusion in the downtown corridor; Generate new revenue to offset the cost of maintaining parking structures.”
Vidarte agrees on the need for funds, speaking as a resident of Saratoga Springs and as a businessperson in the affected area, and less so as a DBA board member. However, he said he and many of his peers at DBA believe “there are better ways to increase revenue.”
“Why not just increase the bed tax a percentage point or whatever that amount is” to equal the anticipated annual net revenue of approximately $1.4 million from the proposed changes, he said. “That would be clean and simple to implement.”
Vidarte said he is quite certain City Council “will run with the paid parking proposal and then see what happens.”
“Five people on the City Council are voting on this and two of them put the proposal together,” he said. “These individuals are elected officials, and it’s very important for those elected to listen to their residents.”
“I have met with many business leaders to gather their perspectives at multiple board meetings, one-on-one discussions, and a large meeting of business owners,” said Commissioner Golub. “Each meeting we had new ideas for how to solve a potential problem and I thank everyone for their feedback.”
“Seasonal paid parking allows us to tackle long-term problems, such as homelessness, and fund important services such as the third fire-station,” said the Commissioner.
“We need to continue showcasing everything that makes our City so special while also investing in our continued growth and community needs,” he said. “This includes more parks and playgrounds, sidewalks and trails to ensure we are a walkable city, investing in energy-efficient infrastructure and preserving historic infrastructure.”
“The Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association is literally paving the way for Saratoga Springs and its future,” reads the association’s home page. Check the website www.saratogaspringsdowntown.com for more information.