A couple of days ago, Stephanie Seery made a comment on our post about downtown Delaware.
But I wanted to comment on your remark about parking being tight in downtown Delaware. I’ve heard lots of people complain about this, but honestly I have always found it pretty easy to get a good spot on Sandusky and Winter Streets where I do most of my biz. Maybe I’m just visiting during non-peak hours. Is parking really THAT big of an issue for customers of downtown’s businesses?
I started to respond to her comment as a comment, and realized that it was getting very long, so I decided to tackle it as a new post.
Is parking that bad in downtown Delaware? Yes and No.
Wow, Toby way to be decisive on that issue.
However, it really depends on who you are talking to and their role in the situation. The business owners are hearing from their customers that the reason they don’t shop downtown is because of parking. The city conducts a study and says there is plenty of parking downtown. So which is right? It depends on your perspective.
- Could it be an excuse for buyers that are shopping elsewhere to not tell these shop-owners that they are not stocking what they are looking for? Quite possibly.
- Are there peak hours when parking is at an extreme premium? Definitely.
So which is right? Both. This is a discussion without an easy answer and whatever the city or shop owners decide people are going to be upset. It really doesn’t have an easy answer, and I don’t think more parking lots is the answer. The city has used a comparison to Polaris Fashion Place Mall on several occasions, which is about like comparing an apple to a kumquat. However, the best solution to solving the downtown parking issue may lie in that comparison.
We have a wonderful vibrant downtown. Something that most town’s of our size are dreaming of. Polaris Fashion Place Mall is a destination, and we need to make downtown Delaware a destination as well.
- Will it happen overnight? No.
- Is it going to be free or easy? No.
- If everyone gets on board will the return be worth the investment? Most definitely.
However back to the current task at hand regarding parking in downtown Delaware, my experience has been that if you park on Winter Street (either east or west) and are willing to walk the block to Sandusky Street you’ll find ample free parking. However, if you want or need to park closer then it can be tough from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
I think it is a great issue to be discussing as it means that downtown is alive and well.
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Hi again, Toby! When you said this, you said a mouthful: “We need to make downtown Delaware a destination as well.” That’s the key. When there’s a store I want to hit in downtown Delaware, I don’t mind if I have to park a few blocks away and walk. So of course I feel like there’s no parking problem… because ALL my trips to downtown start with a favorite destination in mind. (I’ll walk a mile for a great bargain or some great shopping!
And I think that is where the situation gets really interesting. How do we attract a “marquee” downtown outlet when the shops are mostly mom and pop operations?
I’m not knocking the current shop owners, but in this economy small businesses are not able to compete with the major marketing efforts of the chains. Factor in that the developers of the shopping destinations are pumping millions into the pipeline to get you to make their store a destination and it is easy to see the challenges facing downtown Delaware. These owners need all the help they can get to make downtown a destination.