Business Owner Addresses “Long Period” Parking on the Square to City Council
February 26th, 2014 by Sarah SpencerAt the City Council’s Tuesday evening meeting, a local business owner asked the Council to pass an ordinance setting time limits for parking on the square.
The business owner requested an ordinance be passed, and signs installed, limiting parking to an unspecified number of hours, so that parking space can be more readily available for shoppers.
Pat Hood is the owner of The Tree-O, a gift shop located on the south side of the square. Ms. Hood explained to the Council that she has had on-going problems with people using the parking spaces in front of the businesses on the south side of the square for long term parking. She explained that cars are sometimes parked and left in front of her business for days at a time. On several occasions, she stated, cars have been left parked in front of her business for more than two weeks at a time. There is already very limited parking space on the south side of the square, and when parking spaces are used for long-term parking such as this, it creates an inconvenience for people who come to the square to shop.
Ms. Hood states that she is unable to have these abandoned cars towed away because no one can identify the owners of the vehicles, and because there is no ordinance, and no signs, stating that there is a time limit for parking in the spaces, or that abandoned cars will be towed.
Ms. Hood stated that she believes the tenants who lease apartments over the restaurant on the corner of the square are using the parking spaces in front of the businesses for their parking, as well.
Mayor Allen Maxwell recommended that Ms. Hood and Richard Akin, the owner of the several buildings on the square, meet with him at a later time to work out a compromise for the tenants’ parking. Mayor Maxwell suggested that perhaps Mr. Akin could include in the apartments’ lease agreement a clause specifying a location for the tenants to park that would not block store-front parking spaces during business hours.
Following the Mayor’s recommendation, Richard Akin addressed the Council. He stated that he is strongly opposed to any sort of regulation that would set restrictions on where, or for how long a period of time, anyone can park on the square. He explained that he has invested large sums of money to bring back business to the downtown area. His goal was to create a sort of “mall on the Square” in downtown Monticello. He does not want anyone to ever have to be concerned about getting a ticket or having their car towed because of time limits for parking on the square.
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So what about the store owners of your invested town square mall? Do they not matter? Should they be concerned with no parking spaces available for CUSTOMERS?
I guess he doesn’t not care since the store owners have to pay him regardless of income or no income.
Great job Mr. Akin, you really IMPROVED the square! lol
I was under the impression that the city bought the bulding and the land behind Akin’s building to make a parking lot. Parking on the square has always been a problem and a parking lot would certainly help. Maybe the city should invest in something practical rather than all the little brick pavers they laid. Richard Akin has invested a lot of money in the buidlings at the square and I think he is right. I think all the property owners on the square should ask the city what the long term plans are for parking and get on with it before they pull up the brick pavers to replace them with gold inlay next. Our city council and mayor have no practical sense about anything and certainly could care less about small businesses.
around the square is NOT A PLACE TO PARK!!!!!!!! The eating places surely knew they were on the square when they opened their business. A big truck comes along and drag the cars off, maybe SOMEONE will wake up!!!!!!
That is not the issue wondering. It is about a resident and friends that are parking there for days on ends which takes up parking spots. Actually Mr. Akin added additional parking around the fountain that wasn’t there to begin with. This has nothing to do with the issues on the square. You might want to watch the video again to clear up your facts.
Oh, me. It seems only fair that a private residence should have a parking spot which does not interfere with a business. But in this location, where would that parking place be? Does not seem a good location for a residence (the apt.). I hope a solution can be found before any business moves. We don’t need to lose any of them. I’ve noticed there seems to be a big turn over of business tenants on the south side of the square. On the flip side, the square would probably be dead already if it were not for Mr. Akin buying and remodeling the buildings.
I agree with Mrs. Pat totally. It’s not like she wants a 15 minute parking limit for anyone one parking there, she simply wants the spaces to be available for customers. The square should not be a place where you can park indefinitely or over night.
Oh, me! It seems what helps one business hurts another. Hopefully, a solution can be found before some of the businesses move out. We don’t need to lose any of them. I’ve noticed there seems to be a big turn over of business tenants on the south side of the square. It seems only fair that a private residence (the apt) should have a parking spot that doesn’t interfere with a business. But in this particular location, where would that parking spot be. Seems to be a bad location for an apartment.