Ampco: no more parking needed downtown
Youngstown — Posted on December 24, 2009 at 8:01 pmJohn P. Coyne is vice president of business development for Ampco System Parking and owner of Coyne Investments Ltd. In a November article detailing the conversion of three downtown buildings to forty-one parking spaces, Coyne referred to himself as “almost a one-person wrecking ball.”
Given that Coyne Investments, according to the article, paid $324,000 to purchase the properties and “under $200,000″ for demolition, he must have a sense of the parking supply and demand. It’s interesting to note, therefore, the following quote:
“There used to be a parking need [downtown] and I don’t think there is any more need for parking.”
This is an important statement. I was with a group recently and heard the guide say, “We all know there’s a parking problem downtown Youngstown.” Yet, I’ve never been unable to find a parking spot somewhere when I’ve needed it. Perhaps I’ve had to walk a few blocks, but I’ve always thought that was the charm of being in a downtown setting.
When you walk, you can encounter people and places that you otherwise would have missed. I frequently see friends downtown while walking from A to B, and that’s one of the great pleasures of being out and about in this town. I also have the inclination to explore stores I haven’t explored before, such as Two Guys Clothing, where I recently bought a sport coat and Silver’s Vogue Shop, where I bought a winter overcoat. I frequently stop into Tom James in the Commerce Building, as John always has new slacks ($20/ea.), ties ($10/ea.) and sport coats (~$50/ea.) in stock.
So, walking is good, but it is inconvenient to have to hunt around for an available parking space when you’re pressed for time. That’s why I appreciate a good parking deck. Fortunately, a downtown parking deck appears to be in the works. Although, it’s still as much as $6 million away from realization. The CIC is studying the issue and favors the site of the existing parking lot between Commerce and Wood streets, adjacent to the Steel Museum.
A deck in this location would provide parking for events at the DeYor Center and for the increasing number of employees on the Federal Street tech corridor. But until a new deck is ready, for god’s sake, no more surface parking lots. As Ampco itself said, we don’t need any more.
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Tags: CIC, downtown, parking
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5 Comments
Tyler, One of the ongoing problems I have with downtown, is, indeed, the lack of parking. I always have trouble finding a spot when I need to go to the city hall, or courthouse. Luckily, I don’t need to go there often.
Frankly, when I do go downtown, and end up walking, I get annoyed at the lost time, and the unsavory characters that I encounter, especially near the city hall. Perhaps it’s different for a man, but most women I talk to agree that downtown is not a fun place to walk around. It’s hard to escape the panhandlers, or the guys with the personal comments as you pass by.
I know it’s not dangerous – having worked at Powers Auditorium for 10 years, and never having any problem other than the panhandlers. But it just doesn’t “feel good” to walk around there. (not to mention, there’s really not a lot for a woman to buy downtown; I know that could change, though.)
A parking deck is good when people are planning to stay in one spot for an extended period of time. And given that much of downtown is office buildings, a deck makes sense. But some surface parking is always going to be necessary for any business where people make quick in and out stops. A news stand, or mini-mart, for example. When you want to run in to a store for something like a pack of cigarettes, or a bottle of water, (or that elusive cup of quality coffee!) you don’t want to have to park in a deck. If you need to make a quick stop at the bank, to use the ATM, you don’t want to have to park several blocks away. And any restaurant that’s primarily takeout, needs surface parking. Basically, if people have to take longer parking their car than running their errand, they will go elsewhere to run their errand. Personally, I use the 1/2 hour rule: if my task is going to take at least 1/2 hour, I’ll probably park in an available deck. Any less time, I want on-street surface parking.
It’s always nice to find available street parking near your destination. Hopefully additional decks for downtown residents and workers increases the likelihood of you finding that.
What most people fail to realize is that they are more than willing to park up to a half-mile away from the mall entrance, but won’t park two blocks away from a street level destination. Additionally, they may be more likely to be “panhandled” in downtown, but they are statistically more likely to be accosted or mugged in a suburban mall setting. I am also a woman. It does *not* make me nervous to walk around downtown Youngstown – rather, I am excited to see a resurgence of individuals who are interested in being in an urban setting. Here’s to more parking problems. And to more people getting out to stretch their legs to get to their destination… lord knows that as a mostly sedentary society, we could use a little more exercise.
Hi Heather, My issue about downtown parking is not with the distance I need to walk; I love walking. The problem is time. As a business woman, my time is very limited during the day. As for feeling safe or unsafe downtown – I haven’t done the research to know if one is statistically more likely to be mugged elsewhere. But I worked downtown for 10 years, and most women I encountered did not like walking around there. (and still don’t.) But I grant you that this is a subjective feeling.
As I mentioned in my previous post, much depends on the nature of one’s task. If you’ve a brief errand, you want to be able to stop and take care of that errand quickly. If you plan to spend more time at your task, then something like a parking deck, a block or so away is not a problem.
Like you, I’m happy to see the beginnings of a resurgence in urban living. However, if it’s to be successful, those who do the planning for things like parking and access to businesses will need to consider how people use the downtown. My post was intended simply as a reminder that we need both surface parking and deck or garage parking.
I also have trouble finding parking downtown. I am 100% in favor of the new deck and I may consider using it when the new YSU business college is up next year!