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DOWNTOWN NEW HAVEN BUSINESS REVIEW
Paving Paradise?
Perennially parking-starved New Haven merchants want more spaces. Is relief in sight
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Business New Haven
8/23/99
By: BNH
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There may be relief in sight for the infamous parking shortage that has plagued downtown New Haven for decades.
City Economic Development Officer Anthony Bialecki says that plans for a multi-level "Midtown Garage" are on the table. The garage would be located between Church, Wall, Orange and Elm streets.
About two years ago, a feasibility study was done to determine the demand and need for such another parking garage in downtown. Bialecki says he met with the adjacent business owners and determined that a garage would put an end to the crowded area.
Plans for a new garage have been tossed around for more than a decade, but Bialecki is confident, assuming necessary land acquisitions will be "friendly," that construction can begin in about six months. Construction of the garage will require the city to purchase the land on which it will sit, so appraisals are being done to determine reasonable value for land acquisition.
"Next month we will submit a proposal and a full outline," Bialecki says. "Then an ad-hoc committee of people from different departments will discuss the plans."
Brian McGrath, the city's director of traffic and parking, says the problem could be solved if people who lived and worked in the downtown area would use the parking garages and leave surface and street spaces for visitors.
"Parking is a key factor in whether people are going to come downtown to shop," McGrath observes. "One of the main problems is that the students and residents use up to many of the spots on the street. What they should be doing is buying a spot in one of the garages. That way people could do their shopping without worrying about parking. Who wants to park in a garage just to run into a store for a few minutes?"
McGrath expresses some skepticism about plans for the Midtown Garage. He says he doesn't know if it will ever be built because the financing is not in place yet.
"Who should pay for this?" McGrath asks. "Maybe the building owners in the area should subsidize all of the spots."
According to Bialecki, the developer of the project will probably be responsible for managing the garage. "The developer will probably hire a garage manager to oversee it," Bialecki says.
One issue that has become a common refrain from downtown business people is that the dearth of parking is bad for business. If people can not easily find a place to park their car, they will not stop at downtown shops and will find ways to spend their money elsewhere.
Few reasonably doubt that small-business owners downtown are feeling the pinch. Since Yale University began construction in the Chapel and York street area, metered parking spaces have been taken over by bulldozers and dump trucks.
"Parking has not been a huge problem, but the construction has made things a little more difficult," says David Duda, owner of the Book Trader Café.
Duda is a member of the United Merchants Association in New Haven. He says he is working on a plan with representatives of New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. to make parking a little more bearable for visitors to downtown.
"We are thinking about implementing a 20-minute warning system," Duda explains. "It will be like a grace period. A police officer will give you 20 minutes before they give you a ticket after your meter runs out. Also there is two-hour free parking on Saturdays. This should make shopping more enjoyable and bring more people to the city."
Duda says that potential visitors should understand that cities by nature are crowded places.
"It's the city, not the suburbs," Duda says. "In the suburbs there are not as many people - and not as much to do."
Tom Bauer, store manager of Group W Bench at Chapel and High streets, reports that some of his customers have been heavily ticketed this summer.
"People receive tickets because there are no signs posted as to where to park" besides on the street, Bauer says. "I guess it's all due to progress."
Although the construction and the lack of on-street parking have created some dislocation, Bauer says that Yale responded quickly to parking problems around Chapel Street by opening the York Street garage to patrons of the local businesses. Customers can park for free if they bring a validated receipt to the garage.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that some people do not want to go to the trouble of parking in a garage just to do some shopping. "It's hard, because people don't really want to park in a garage to run in and get $2 worth of incense," Bauer says.
One parking project that promises a measure of relief is the $9 million rehab of the underutilized Temple Street Garage.
"It's basically going to be a total renovation and refurbishing," explains William Kilpatrick, executive director of the New Haven Parking Authority. "There will be things like concrete repair, lighting repair and repair to the control system. We are not going to be expanding the existing structure in any way."
Kilpatrick adds that the surrounding streetscape will also undergo a facelift so as to look more attractive as people enter the downtown area.
"When the project is done, we will have a garage we can be proud of," Kilpatrick says.
The renovation work will go out to bid in a little over a month. Once approved and a contractor has been selected, construction should begin toward the end of the year or the beginning of 2000, Kilpatrick says.
Joining the list of concerned Church Street businesses is Carl Traub of Traub & Co. He notes that plans for a new midtown garage have been around for more than a decade.
"I wish I had a Ouija board," Traub says. "I'm impressed that people seem to be genuinely interested in the parking problem in the area."
Traub says he is concerned because New Haven's central business district is at a considerable disadvantage because of a lack of parking facilities.
"New Haven has a lot to be proud of," Traub says. "It still has one of the best balances between housing, commercial and retail businesses. It is crucial to have more parking."
As downtown business owners and merchants fight for more parking to boost patronage, the city's plans to build the Long Wharf mall loom over all else.
"I think the city would be very remiss in putting all of its efforts into building a mall when there are things that need to be addressed downtown," Traub says
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