Bright told council he and his wife have owned several bars, and, “I’m kind of curious how the HUB opened a bar with only 12 parking spaces.”
Bright said he believed only the building’s interior square footage was used to calculate how much parking was required, rather than the much larger space outdoors. The bar can seat 65 inside. Its backyard may be able to seat 150 to 200, and can be enclosed during cold weather months.
Ed Wilson, an associate planner with the city, told the Journal-News on Thursday the bar property was required to have 17 spaces — 12 for the bar and two more for an upstairs apartment — because of on-street parking nearby.
“My main concern is the lack of parking enforcement in the 500 block of Main Street,” Bright said. “There’s a two-hour parking, Monday through Saturday, 9 (a.m.) to 6 (p.m.). I have it on video, many cars, parking for three and four hours, and not crossing at the crosswalk, but crossing right in the middle of Main Street.”
Bright said when one lady parked in a space 2½ hours to visit the bar during the two-hour parking period, “I called the non-emergency number to have an officer come out. Two weeks later, I’ve still yet to see ‘em.”
Bright’s business “has dropped 50 percent on the days that they’re open,” he said. “They’re closed on Monday, and I’m right back to where I’m supposed to be. So my question is what can be done about the actual enforcement of the parking rules, and even getting those hours down to 30 minutes to an hour?”
Bright said some customers will notice his shop and be interested, but won’t stop if they don’t immediately see parking.
City Manager Joshua Smith agreed during the meeting, saying, “Parking enforcement on Main Street is not the best, to say it bluntly. Frankly, parking on High Street was not the best until recently,” when a new system of parking-meter kiosks was introduced.
Smith said businesses tend to want parking enforcement, “and then once it’s there, then the people start complaining to the local businesses about the parking enforcement, then they don’t want it.”
Smith said the city can meet with business owners to understand whether they want one-hour, two-hour parking, or 10-minute parking or other options.
One option the city will consider is adding more parking meters in the area, the city’s director of engineering, Rich Engle said.
Wilson said the city was able to waive 50 percent of parking that HUB on Main would have been required to have because on-street parking within 300 feet, as well as a public parking lot within 500 feet of the property.
The city’s standards are that way “because of how downtowns are,” Wilson said. The HUB was held to standards within the city’s zoning ordinance, he added.
“We’re all hearing it,” Wilson said about business complaints. “I know people that are much higher up than I am are working on that as well.”
At a meeting this summer, Richards Pizza owner Karen Underwood Kramer and others expressed concerns about parking that was required of Rossville Flats, with about 80 apartments and retail spaces planned for the 300 block of Main. Richards plans to expand, adding tacos and other Mexican foods the way it used to at its Main Street location.
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