BIDDEFORD — The city of Biddeford will be creating a parking management plan and public input on what that should look like will be solicited in a variety of ways including public meetings and written comments.

On Tuesday, City Council unanimously passed a measure that calls for at least three public meetings with the opportunity for the public to speak and a process for accepting written input from the public in developing a parking management plan proposal. In addition, it instructs city staff to give consideration to the public comments when developing the parking plan. Staff has 90 days to develop a draft of the plan, which would require council approval to be implemented.

Currently there is no parking management plan in Biddeford, though “many believe there is,” according to a memo from City Manager James Bennett to Mayor Alan Casavant and City Council members on the subject of establishing a parking program process dated March 16.

Because of this perceived belief, “staff recommends a strong outreach process designed to disseminate information in a timely manner and to allow interested parties to express their opinion and provide input,” wrote Bennett. “We are suggesting a more inclusive process than normally expected.”

The proposed construction of a publicly funded parking garage, which many believe is important for continued growth of the downtown and mill district, is a major impetus for the development of a parking management plan, but the plan can be implemented whether or not building a parking structure is ultimately approved by the council.

As has been stated by Bennett, the mayor, and some members of the council, if a parking garage is built, it will not be funded by general fund property taxes. Funds will would instead come for Tax Increment Finance District funds, which are taxes created by new valuation in specific areas that do not go to the general fund, and user paid parking fees.

In past discussions by the council, suggestions for a parking plan include charging to park in city-owned parking lots in the downtown and mill district, which currently are free to park in; maintaining free time-limited parking on Main Street and some of the downtown streets, though current time limits could change; requiring parking permits on other streets in the downtown; and other alternatives.

In the past, Councilor Laura Seaver, who has objected to many of the options of the proposed parking management plan discussed by the council. However on Tuesday she said she would vote it favor of the measure because it offers multiple avenues for public comment.

Seaver did vote against another measure on Tuesday regarding the parking garage.

She, along Councilors Robert Quattrone, Michael Ready and Norman Belanger opposed an order that spells out the parking garage decision making authority. This requires that all major policy, design and total expenditure impact decisions be made by City Council, minor design features shall be delegated to the Mayor’s Downtown Task Force, and all remaining issues made by the city manager and/or his designee.

Despite the opposition of these councilors, the measure passed in a 5-4 vote.

— Associate Editor Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324, or [email protected].