HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-04-22 Public Comment - A. Deal - Paid Parking 0 22 °YCi
My name is Anna Deal, my husband and I own Lockhorn Cider House at 21 S Wallace Ave in Downtown
Bozeman. We have a fabulous team of 12 employees and rely on the loyalty of our local customers,
most of whom drive and park Downtown.
I have attended and participated in multiple listening sessions carried out by Transportation Committee.
paid parking given the ve(;al eppesitien by these who they had asked te Vie.
It became clear in the Board meeting last week that the "listening sessions and surveys"that were
conducted weFe net done te gather-publie OPinien se that they eould make_-R ;-"--.FPAed and Fespensible
derzisienbut took place only to check a box so that the Board could claim "rigorous public engagement"
to the Commission.
I was shocked to watch as the Board disregarded countless concerns raised since April and instead made
their decision based on the revenue stream that year-round paid parking will provide.
I have concerns about paid parking in Downtown Bozeman for the following reasons:
1. The parking study being used to justify paid parking was conducted at the peak of the summer in
an uncharacteristically high tourist year of 2021 when Covid & low gas prices drove people to visit
Montana and does not represent current or near term future parking needs For example, our visits
were down 13%this summer compared to the summer of 2021. If you are basing your decision on a
study, but the year when it was conducted showed uncharacteristically high parking density, then I
would respectfully question that decision.
2. Second,This will hurt Downtown Bozeman businesses like mine by driving customers, especially
locals away from Downtown. Parking meters were removed from Downtown Bozeman 40 years ago for
precisely this reason.This is especially concerning as we struggle with rising costs and head into
financially challenging times.
3. This was originally proposed for the summer season only, but once the potential revenue
became visible,the Transportation Board became "very excited by the revenue stream that year-round
paid parking would provide".They ignored the impact to small businesses like mine who struggle to
make payroll during the winter months. The option to expand paid parking to year-round will hurt
downtown businesses significantly more than in the summer season as originally proposed.The winter
season is our hardest season, in addition to the tourists traffic slowing down, it is cold, icy, and people
are not as interested in walking several blocks to get where they are going. This will drive our already
slim customer base to eat and drink elsewhere,where they can park close by without fiddling with
parking meters in the cold.
We do not have a parking problem on East Main, especially in the winter. Free parking on the west side
of Bozeman in the parking garage will not help us all the way on the east side of Bozeman.The existing
garage is not empty because it is paid parking, it is empty because it is inconvenient, especially for
businesses on the East end of Downtown.
4. This will make it more difficult for Downtown businesses to find employees. Our employees will
quit before they agree to walk to a shuttle in the dark at lam when they get off of a long shift. Our
people will demand, and rightly so,that we cover their parking costs.This becomes yet another increase
in our costs as we struggle to keep our doors open and wages high enough to keep up with our
employees rising costs of housing,fuel, and food.
5. Lastly,this will further gentrify Downtown and create barriers to accessibility.The wealthy will
be undeterred by paid parking, but for working local people,$1.75/hr does matter and will become a
deterrent to visit Downtown. Businesses will struggle to survive unless they cater to high-end visitors
who are more willing to pay for parking. We will lose that friendly local authentic and accessible feel
that both residents and visitors love and have come here to experience -and we will become just
another generic overpriced tourist trap. Installing parking meters will have a negative impact-that can't
be measured in any parking density or data driven study-on the accessibility,vitality, and culture of the
Downtown Bozeman that we all love.
I've heard Mike say in his presentations that they have been advised by this consulting group to "Use
data to make their decision and to keep community informed".
When I hear that, I hear, "make your decision based on a study, never mind that it was conducted in an
anomalous year, but do not let public comment on how this will affect their livelihood and their
community influence your decision,you are simply obligated to keep them informed".
I respectfully ask that you consider the factors that go beyond the numbers and vote NO on the paid
parking proposal as it is currently written and require that any future proposal:
Include a robust employee parking plan that includes an employee voucher program.
Restrict paid parking to the summer months.
Limit paid parking to parts of Downtown within 2 blocks of an existing garage with free 2 hour
parking.
- Monitor the Parking density by block and adjust pricing to actual demand. If demand decreases below
the threshold of need, meters should be turned off.Any remaining maintenance and installation costs of
the meters should be covered by the Transportation Committee's existing budget.This is the only way
to ensure that meters installation is based on an actual need, rather than a desire to fund their budget.
Require that Funds generated from paid parking be used specifically to fund another parking
garage rather than other projects proposed by the Transportation Board.
Thank you for your time.
Anna Deal
anna@lockhornhardcider.com