{"id":39582,"date":"2024-03-17T12:40:04","date_gmt":"2024-03-17T16:40:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/?p=39582"},"modified":"2024-03-17T12:40:04","modified_gmt":"2024-03-17T16:40:04","slug":"saratoga-springs-city-council-offers-a-variety-of-solutions-to-the-downtown-parking-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2024\/03\/saratoga-springs-city-council-offers-a-variety-of-solutions-to-the-downtown-parking-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"Saratoga Springs City Council Offers A Variety Of Solutions To The Downtown Parking Issue"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
City parking garages may see a change to paid and permit parking during the summer months.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Susan Elise Campbell<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Paid parking would only be in effect for the summer, but residents and businesses get permits to park for free.<\/p>\n

\u201cA 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,\u201d said Commissioner Golub. \u201cInvesting 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u201cpermit only\u201d or \u201ctwo-hour free or permit only,\u201d according to a presentation Commissioner Golub made to the Downtown Business Association members and their guests. The forum was at DBA\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The full proposal was submitted one week later to City Council.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span>\u201cWith 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,\u201d said the Commissioner.<\/p>\n

Those concerns included the \u201cconfusing\u201d allotment of spaces that were to be permit-only or two-hour limited parking, according to Vidarte. Then things changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will start with a smaller and more manageable program for seasonal parking, only impacting the garages and surface lots,\u201d Commissioner Golub said. \u201cThe downtown streets will be left as-is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another tweak was to shorten the season from Memorial Day to Labor Day instead of May 1st through September 30th, said Vidarte.<\/p>\n

Vidarte is on the board of directors for the Downtown Business Association and is also a resident whose \u201cwhole life revolves around the City\u201d of Saratoga Springs. He indicated that at best the proposed parking space designations, if implemented in the future, would be \u201cconfusing for tourists and non-permitted\u201d visitors to downtown.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At worst, \u201csome business owners felt it wouldn\u2019t be good for business,\u201d although he said he personally does not believe people would refuse to visit the Broadway district \u201cbecause they may have to pay to park.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen drafting this proposal, the team reviewed years of discussions on parking, how paid parking works in similar municipalities, and what might work here,\u201d said the Commissioner.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I don\u2019t think Newport, RI and Rutland, VT are comparable communities,\u201d Vidarte said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Business owners who have been more vocal than others, pushing back and starting petitions since details of the proposal were unveiled, have been heard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vidarte cited one businessman he knows well who has a retail store downtown and 30 years of experience and who \u201cknows what happens when you change things.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Commissioner Golub has announced that street parking will remain \u201cfree and unchanged for all. Time limits will be reviewed but permits will not be required.\u201d<\/p>\n

If approved the DPW\u2019s plan will be implemented to coincide with Saratoga\u2019s racing season with infrastructure changes starting this month or next. Commissioner Golub said that \u201cmaking 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to charts presented by the Department of Public Works to the DBA, \u201cnext steps\u201d after February include receiving \u201cStakeholder Input,\u201d making a \u201cPublic Announcement,\u201d making\u00a0 <\/span>any needed \u201cchanges to the City code,\u201d utilizing \u201ccontracts with vendors for pay stations\u201d and the \u201cpermit program,\u201d an \u201cInstall\u201d period during March\/April, a \u201cTest\u201d period in April, and an \u201cImplement\u201d goal of May 1, 2024, which is likely now changed to Memorial Day weekend.<\/p>\n

After the summer tourist season paid parking areas will revert to free parking as it had been, according to the proposal.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what is to stop the City from keeping the fees 24\/7 for the rest of the year?\u201d said Vidarte.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other stated goals are the following, according to the same presentation material provided to DBA: \u201cIncrease 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u201cthere are better ways to increase revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not just increase the bed tax a percentage point or whatever that amount is\u201d to equal the anticipated annual net revenue of approximately $1.4 million from the proposed changes, he said. \u201cThat would be clean and simple to implement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vidarte said he is quite certain City Council \u201cwill run with the paid parking proposal and then see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFive people on the City Council are voting on this and two of them put the proposal together,\u201d he said. \u201cThese individuals are elected officials, and it\u2019s very important for those elected to listen to their residents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d said Commissioner Golub. \u201cEach meeting we had new ideas for how to solve a potential problem and I thank everyone for their feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeasonal paid parking allows us to tackle long-term problems, such as homelessness, and fund important services such as the third fire-station,\u201d said the Commissioner.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to continue showcasing everything that makes our City so special while also investing in our continued growth and community needs,\u201d he said. \u201cThis includes more parks and playgrounds, sidewalks and trails to ensure we are a walkable city, investing in energy-efficient infrastructure and preserving historic infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association is literally paving the way for Saratoga Springs and its future,\u201d reads the association\u2019s home page. Check the website www.saratogaspringsdowntown.com for more information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":39583,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"\r\nSaratoga Springs City Council Offers A Variety Of Solutions To The Downtown Parking Issue - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2024\/03\/saratoga-springs-city-council-offers-a-variety-of-solutions-to-the-downtown-parking-issue\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Saratoga Springs City Council Offers A Variety Of Solutions To The Downtown Parking Issue - Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"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. 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