SANFORD — The Sanford City Council voted last Tuesday to add two-hour parking spaces around the perimeter of the lower Mid-Town Mall parking lot, and to designate two rows of spaces within the lot to overnight and full-day parking.
The measure is the first step in developing a comprehensive parking program in downtown Sanford.
“This is absolutely a fluid plan,” said Mayor Tom Cote. “This will not be the final parking plan for the downtown area for sure.”
Likewise, City Manager Steve Buck called the measure “a fluid model.”
“We recognize that this is not a permanent solution, but this is a first attempt to make it far better than what it is currently,” said Buck.
The measure was born out of an agreement between the city and Northland Enterprises, the company that developed the Sanford Mill complex, to provide 35 parking spaces for mill residents.
“This is just following through on our commitment to them, which is now three or four years old,” said Councilor Joseph Hanslip. “But this is just a component of a number of parking issues that are going to be addressed in the coming months.”
Under the new arrangement, two interior rows of the city-owned lower Mid-Town Mall parking lot will be reserved for vehicles with permits issued by Northland Enterprises from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., while non-permitted vehicles will be able to park there outside of that time frame.
But when faced with the concerns of April Libby, owner of the nearby Third Alarm Diner, officials said non-permitted vehicles will be able to park in those rows on a first-come, first-served basis at virtually any time.
For example, if somebody finds an empty space in that area at 5 a.m., he or she can “assume it for the rest of the day,” said Buck.
Additionally, two-hour parking will be expanded on the periphery of the lot to meet the needs of area businesses’ customers.
In opposition to the measure, Patty Libby, owner of Hair Designers Unlimited, said she doesn’t think the mall lot should provide parking for private residences.
“Their parking problem shouldn’t become our problem,” she said of area business owners, whose employees often park in the lot. “Everybody’s parking in the Mid-Town Mall, and we don’t have room in the Mid-Town Mall.”
Overall, Buck said as frustrating as parking problems can be, they should be embraced as a sign the city is headed in the right direction.
“The first sign of a vibrant downtown is you have parking issues,” he said. “That’s supposed to be a good problem. … We have a growing demand on our downtown, which is a very positive thing.”
— Staff Writer Angelo J. Verzoni can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].
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