The Elmhollow Town Council put off a decision on new downtown parking rules Tuesday night, sending the proposal back to committee after nearly two hours of public comment at the Cedar Fork Municipal Building.
At issue is a plan to extend free on-street parking on Mill Street from ninety minutes to two hours, a change downtown shop owners have requested for years. Several residents of the adjoining Riverside blocks objected, saying longer limits would push all-day commuters onto their streets.
What the proposal would change
- Free on-street parking extended from 90 minutes to two hours on Mill Street and Depot Row
- A new resident permit zone on the three Riverside blocks nearest downtown
- Enforcement shifted from the police department to a part-time civilian officer
Council members asked staff to return next month with cost estimates for the permit program before any vote. “We’re not going to rush something that changes how the whole downtown works,” the presiding member said during the discussion.
The committee is expected to take the matter up again at its next regular meeting, which is open to the public.
Related: Town Hall · school board decisions
Further reading: Parking policy
Author
