Between A Rock And A Hard Place: Parking In Town Square
Sep 30, 2009 17:12 - 52 Comments
As many readers of >Rockville Central know, because of some of the lengthy comment trails on a a number of articles, there’s a storm brewing over the parking in Town Square. Until recently, it’s been low-level, but on October 5 the time when people have to pay to park is set to be extended.
As Samuel Johnson said, “Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.” People are, for want of a better word, focused.
By and large, the Town Square merchants would like to make it as easy as possible for people to park and be customers. (This stands to reason.) Many merchants are concerned that additional parking fees will drive people away. Furthermore, one merchant who has been very active in this issue of late is a candidate for City Council (Trapper Martin). That is neither good nor bad, but it does complicate things when it comes to decision making.
In the midst of all this, the Mayor and Council as a body appears reluctant to act. (I am not talking about individuals, but the whole.) Not only that, but this particular iteration of the parking issue has become a heated political issue. The Gazette has a good recap of the situation.
But my favorite update is by Roald Schrack of the Alliance of Rockville Voters, who writes:
The September 21 , 2009 meeting of the Mayor and Council epitomized the past two years experience with this M&C. The Citizen’s Forum was largely taken up by a plea from the restaurateurs of Town Center to delay the onset of regular parking fees that had been scheduled for October 4 . It seems that a big coordinated advertising campaign has been arranged for “Restaurant Week in Rockville” starting on October 5. The restaurateurs felt that the success of their campaign would be seriously hurt by the need for their customers to pay for parking. The Mayor [Susan Hoffmann] said they would take up a solution under New Business later in the evening. When it came time for New Business John Britton made a motion to delay the imposition of paying for parking (after 7:00 pm) for one week to avoid being coincident with “Restaurant Week”. The motion failed for want of a second (the Mayor cannot introduce a motion or second it according to Robert’s Rules of Order). [Phyllis] Marcuccio, [Piotr] Gajewski, and [Anne] Robbins gave various reasons for objecting to the motion. . . . [T]here it sat with no action taken to soften the blow of parking fees on “Restaurant Week”. Everyone on the M&C knows that the survival of the Town Center restaurants is vital to the success of Town Center but the M&C fear that citizens would see any compromise on the parking fees as a further burden on the taxpayers. It is estimated that the additional parking fees earned from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm would bring in $400,000 a year. Delaying the fee for one week would only cost about $8000 and could be absorbed by the city. But the problem remains after the week is over. The restaurateurs would return after the week and again ask for continuing relief from parking fees. The City is between a rock and a hard place. It isn’t just $400,000, There is an additional $2,400,000 that the city must trim from the budget because of the recession’s impact on state revenues. Why anyone would want to run for M&C in this environment is hard to see. The next two years are going to be very difficult for the city.
Roald makes good points. As many know, I am in favor of people having to pay for parking in Town Square. The Mayor and Council are indeed between a rock and a hard place. At some point, the parking lots must get paid for. But a week delay seems as if it might have made sense all around.
If it had been raised earlier that waiting one week (until after a major retail event) might help things, it is likely there would have been enough time to deal with the one-week delay. Of course, it may not have — it might take the October 5 deadline to actually spur action. Furthermore, someone might have raised it already and it fell on deaf ears.
In any event, many Town Square merchants are hoping for a reprieve so that Restaurant Week can take place without the added burden of the extended paid hours. It is unclear whether that is possible.
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While I understand that The Town Square parking garages must charge for parking, with the reason, for me, being that Metro riders will use the garages to park and commute on Metro, instead of using the Metro parking lot and other parking lots. I have not been in favor of paying for parking in the Town Square parking, for other reasons, though, but that is inconsequential.What has continued to bother me is the Mayor and City Council trying to increase the revenue from parking, in the Town Square garages by increasing the hours patrons of The Town Square have to pay for parking. One City Councilmember told me that the Council wants to capture funds from out-of-town patrons who come to The Town Square. To me, this seemed like poor reasoning and would backfire against The Town Square merchants and also revenue coming to the City.I think what the City has failed to realize is that if The Town Square merchants are not healthy there will be a decrease in revenue coming to the City through parking revenue. The merchants of The Town Square have told the Mayor and Council that they fear that if the time of paid parking is increased that their business will decrease, but this has been ignored, in what seems like a cavalier manner, by the Mayor and the Council. This troubles me.Even though I don’t use The Town Square very often, because I am handicapped and the cobblestones and bricks are awful for me to travel over, (I wish the City would have had the foresight to have followed a plan the County has of not using cobblestones, bricks, etc., where the public walks, in new construction, because they create difficulties for people who have mobility handicaps.) I am concerned about the vitality of the merchants in The Town Square, as they a re a big part of our City, now.I think the solution is for voters to vote how we feel about this, in the coming election, if this is an important issue for you. It is to me. I would like the City to find other ways to pay for the parking garage than to increase the hours for parking and/or increase the parking fees. I think while increasing the parking hours and/or parking fees in The Town Square might yield some increased revenues, in the short term, it will backfire, in the long run. I would like the City to come up with other creative ways to pay for the parking garage other than increasing the time of paying for parking and/or increasing parking fees.Some of the candidates, we can tell, by their actions and/or inactions, how they feel about the issue of parking fees in The Town Square. It appears that all of the other current council members, possibly with the exception of John Britton, who made a motion to delay implementation of increasing the parking hours by one week, because of Restaurant week, are in favor of extending the parking hours, since John Britton’s motion died for lack of a second.We have 10 candidates running for 4 City Council seats. One candidate for Council, Trapper Martin, is opposed to increasing the time for parking hours. I am going to contact the rest of the candidates for City Council and ask them what their stance is on parking in The Town Square. The list and the links of candidates for Mayor and City Council was in Rockville Central on September 8 titled, “Official List of Rockville Candidates for 2009 [Updated].” I am going to use that as a way to contact the candidates. It seems this is the way to get some changes made.
Just like the Gazette did in last week’s paper, Mr. Schrack didn’t tell the whole story of attempts to get some action taken by the M&C. Brad suggests “If it had been raised earlier that waiting one week … might help things, it is likely there would have been enough time to deal with the one-week delay.”There was an attempt to get something done a week before Mr. Britton made his motion on behalf of the Mayor. The Gazette so far has failed to print a letter that calls this fact to their attention. The front page headline in the September 23, 2009 issue of the Rockville Gazette read “Hoffmann’s proposal for Town Square dies for lack of a second; one council member asks for emergency meeting.” While the headline accurately states a motion was not seconded, it led me to believe the mayor presented some grand scheme to address the paid parking issue with the city owned garages. Turns out her proposal was only to delay, by a week, extending the hours for paid parking. In covering this story, an important fact was not reported. At the September 14th Council meeting, Councilwoman Marcuccio asked why the parking garage issue was not on the next meeting’s agenda. She was told by City Manager Scott Ullery he did not “agendize” it. Ms. Marcuccio stated the Council should revisit the matter before the change goes into effect. She made a motion to reconsider the parking plan scheduled to go into effect October 5th, and to have it put on the agenda for the 9/21 meeting. It failed for lack of a second. This is one of the most controversial and contentious issues facing the city today. It demands accurate and factual reporting. The one councilmember who, a week earlier, tried to get something more substantive on the agenda was ignored.
I totally agree that extending the hours to pay for parking is not “The Answer.” Using parking fees to pay for the garage is one thing, but trying to use parking fees to piecemeal balance the City’s budget isn’t going to work if fewer people come downtown to spend their money.
Why are none of the suggested alternatives even being considered?
“Just like the Gazette did in last week’s paper, Mr. Schrack didn’t tell the whole story of attempts to get some action taken by the M&C.”what does this refer to? wasn’t this parking increase already delayed, as it was supposed to go into effect last november?
I think JJ is right that is is one of most controveraial and contentious issues facing the City. Yesterday, I suggested, for those for whom this is an issue that they contact all of the candidates for mayor and city council and ask them for their position on parking fees and hours in The Town Square garages. I did this, and as of 3:30 p.m. today, I have only received one reply, except I did not contact Trapper Martin, because I thought I knew his position. I have since thought better of that and just now, at about 3:50 p.m., today, Thursday, sent him and e-mail asking him for his position on this issue, too.Below, is Carl Henn’s position, as he sent it to me in an e-mail, yesterday evening.”In principle I believe that the people who park in Town Center should pay for their parking. But that principle plays out in a marketplace where people can choose not to park there and have plenty of options where parking is free. The decision is further constrained by the need for funding. Rockville counted on those parking fees in establishing the FY 2010 budget, and then suffered a $2.4 million cut in state funding. I support extending the hours from 7 to 10 on weekdays and on Saturdays, but believe that the dollar per hour charge is too great for the market to bear and would cause too great a fall off in business with business owners there already on the edge. The proposal by business owners to expand metro parking use and charge only one dollar for evenings and Saturday seems reasonable.”I ,just now, replied to Mr. Henn’s e-mail asking where the “plenty of options where parking is free” are, especially for a person who is handicapped, such as I am. Since Mr. Henn supports charging for parking, until 10 p.m., I am going to ask him if his “options where parking is free” is safe.I am disappointed that Mr. Henn is the only candidate who has responded to my question, so far. I, also personally, disagree with his position of charging for parking until 10 p.m.Give me a break!!! Where else charges for parking until 10 p.m., especially on Saturdays?Of course, I only just now, e-mailed Trapper Martin, because I thought I knew his position, since he has been at the forefront of the business owners position toward the City Council, but it is better to hear from him directly.I still encourage you to contact the candidates for mayor and city council, if parking fees and parking time in The Town Square is an important issue to you. As I wrote yesterday, The list and the links of candidates for Mayor and City Council was in Rockville Central on September 8 titled, “Official List of Rockville Candidates for 2009 [Updated].” You can search for it, at the top right-hand corner of Rockville Central’s website.
Mr. Cooper-Martin:According to my outbox, I sent the following e-mail to you at 7:54 p.m. on 9/30/09. I am surprised that you did not receive it.No matter; here it is:Dear Mr. Cooper-Martin:Thanks for writing.As you know, the City has an outstanding $65 million dollar obligation with respect to the garages. The plan, when the City took on that debt, was to pay it off with paid parking Monday through Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. That was the commitment.I believe only two of the Councilmembers who were then on the Council are still serving; those are now Mayor Hoffman and Councilmember Robbins.The issue presents a conundrum for the present Council, as most of us didn’t create the problem, but we have to struggle with the consequences of the debt.To date, I feel that the implemented fees for parking have worked relatively well. The number of business failures in Town Square does not seem to be larger than in other parts of the City and new investors are waiting to open shops where others fail – even with the notion of evening and Saturday parking charges looming.I am concerned that in the current economy evening and weekend parking fees could present a significant deterrent for shoppers but at the same time, I am not eager to raise taxes on Rockville citizens in order to pay on the debt that Rockville promised to pay off with parking fees.Presently, the new fee structure will go into effect next week. I am committed to monitoring consequences closely and making a course adjustment as evidence dictates.Regards,Piotr GajewskiCandidate for Rockville City CouncilP.O. Box 4853, Rockville, MD 20849-4853
$1/hour is cheap. You won’t even notice it after a visit to Oro Pomodoro. They make GREAT food, but my last dinner for three set me back $100!Restaurant owners are usually wrong about what hurts business. Remember the wailing about the smoking ban? Turns out the ban improved business!
My apologies to Mr. Peter Gajewski, as I did indeed receive the response to my question, and it is printed above, exactly as I received it. I don’t know why I could not find his response in my e-mail. He asked that I acknowledge my receipt of his e-mail and I did. There was no malice intended toward him, on my part..However, I disagree with Mr. Gajewski about having businesses fail and others wanting to come in as a way of monitoring the parking fee situation. I don’t know about the statistics that the businesses in The Town Square fail as much as other businesses in Rockville; perhaps they do. I just don’t know, but I would like to see them. Anyway, to me, that way of deciding about parking fees and how long parking hours should be seems rather arbitrary and harsh.Even though I don’t use The Town Square very often, I favor paying off the parking garage debt, to some degree, by other means than by extending the hours patrons have to pay for parking or making the parking fees higher. To me, The Town Square has become central to Rockville, and I hate to see its merchants disrupted, particularly when they express concern for their well-being to the mayor and city council en mass, and their concerns seem to be ignored.
Another candidate for city council, Trapper Martin responded to my e-mail, which I have sent to all of the candidates for mayor and city council asking them for their position on parking fees and hours in The Town Square. He said his position is on his website, which it is. His position is a fairly lengthy letter written to the mayor and city council on September 22, titled “Parking in RTS.Letter to Mayor/Council.” In the letter, in my opinion, he proposes exploring a number of options for parking in The Town Square. So far, his thinking is more in line with what I think; let’s not be hard-nosed about what was decided in the past. Economic times have changed. We don’t have to be locked in with what the city council, in the past, thought was the best alternative for paying off the parking garage debt. There might be better ways to pay off the debt.From the responses to my e-mails, which I have sent out so far, here are my personal thoughts. I am not sure about where a lot of free options to park are or if they are safe, in the nighttime. I am also not sure if they are handicapped accessible. Additionally, I hate to see businesses close needlessly. I would hope the businesses, the mayor, and the city council would work together on the issue of parking fees and hours in The Town Square. If the City wants to be known as a City that is business friendly, then I think the mayor and the city concil have an obligation to work with its businesses so as to give them the best chance possible to succeed, rather than thinking there will always be another business ready to take the place of a failed business. After a while, I think there won’t be quality businesses wanting to take the place of failed businesses, because Rockville will be viewed as business unfriendly – perhaps that is already happening.
“However, I disagree with Mr. Gajewski about having businesses fail and others wanting to come in as a way of monitoring the parking fee situation.”You are twisting what he said; he didn’t say that, and I hope he responds personally. He said, DESPITE the prospect of rates going up, new business were coming in when older ones were failing.I do not think the increase in parking fees is a major issue to the registered voters in Rockville. It certainly isn’t my personal litmus test.I do hope other issues are discussed here and at candidate forums.
Whether or not we notice the dollar an hour after a meal for 3 may or may not figure to someone who thinks that if they’re going to drop $100+ for a family dinner they may as well do it in Rio, or down at Clyde’s, where the parking won’t set them back any further. Not saying I agree with the mindset or hold it myself, just that I can easily picture it as a factor of people deciding where to dine (and take their business).I don’t have a problem with the parking garage needing to be paid for. I DO have a problem with the other options not even being considered in the name of “that was our commitment and by golly we’re sticking to it.” (my paraphrase, not meant to be a direct quote) If an equally good (or maybe better?) solution is on the table, why not consider it, give it a trial period perhaps?
I asked Mr. Henn to elaborate on where “the plenty of options for free parking,” which he wrote are and if they are safe, in the nighttime, particularly for handicapped people. He responded, with the following: “Perhaps you misunderstood me. I don’t mean to imply that there will be free parking available for Town Center after they extend the parking hours. I mean that we can’t charge a dollar an hour at Town Center because there are so many other shopping and dining venues that don’t charge on Saturdays. In Montgomery County, really only Bethesda charges for parking on Saturdays. Carl”
I sent an e-mail to mayorial candidate Phyllis Marcuccio, but it seems she got my e-mail address wrong in her answer to my question. So, I asked again. Below is her answer:”Dear Mr. Cooper-Martin:My guess is that you have been following the discussions related to the parking fee structure and issues for some time. If so, you know that I am keenly aware of the need to recover funds from parking fees to aid the city in paying its debt and servicing the bonds issued for us to build the garages. Our tax dollars (general fund $) go to make up the portion of the $3 million that we do not realize from parking income that it takes annually to operate and sustain the garages.This being said, I am concerned about the viability of Town Center and the businesses we have there. These are tough financial times for us all. The business community has repeatedly expressed desperation about their condition and wants the city’s help in the form of relief from new parking fees. They anticipate that increasing fees in evening and Saturday will damage their business health significantly.I recommended both at the September 14th M&C meeting and at the September 21st that the city look at some of the alternatives and options that the Town Center businesses have suggested. I could not obtain support for my motion to do so on the 14th, nor would the M&C discuss it the following week.The Mayor and Council led these people to believe we would take such a look (March or April) before the October 5 date went into effect. We have not done that as a body. I have since sent messages (2x) to my council colleagues asking for their support of a M&C meeting to discuss the issues. Only Council member Robbins agrees. It takes three to call a meeting and/or put a topic on the agenda.I hope this answers your question.Phyllis”It sounds, to me, like Ms. Marcuccio is frustrated that she cannot get the city council to discuss this issue, in a formal way. That frustrates me, too, given what the businesses say the impact of the changes will be for them.
I asked Max van Balgooy, on his blog, as I could not find his e-mail, on his blog, about his position on parking fees and hours in The Town Square. His reply is below:”date Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 8:05 PMsubject Town Square parkingmailed-by gmail.com hide details 8:05 PM (14 hours ago) Thanks for your message. You may have missed my reply to you on my blog but I mentioned that I wanted to address this as its own post rather than have it get lost in the comments section of an unrelated post. Parking in Town Center (which is tied more to the city’s precarious financial situation than it is to the success of a commercial district) is an important issue so it deserves its own space. I’ll address this next week after I finish responding to issues from other voters. MaxMax A. van Balgooy”While I don’t want to “skim to the head of the line,” I hoped that the candidates had positions on this issue. Perhaps, I hoped for too much.
Personally, I feel Mr. Cooper is out of line insinuating the candidates aren’t responding in a timely matter. 1) people aren’t tied to their computers 24/7 and 2) it takes time to respond thoughtfully. I think it’s out of line for him to cut and paste and then opine on candidates statements. I think this blog is a travesty and while it tries to be unbiased, it fails. The same people who go to citizens forum are basically the same people who post here. There are many ridiculous and onesided and misinformed people on this board and at citizens forum and it makes me mad. I am posting anonymously because I can’t divulge my name. But here are my opinions. The businesses that have failed in TC have failed because they sell inferior products/services/food or charge WAY Too much or TC is saturated with too many like-businesses. Gordon Biersch is succeeding higher than they projected as is the Starbucks. The city must charge for parking because if not the Metro riders would park there for free and not leave any spaces for shoppers/diners. I think people on this board have their own agenda to the detriment of civilized people making their own decisions. These are difficult decisions. My vote is to completely disband this message board.
While I do not expect candidates to be at their computers 24/7, the issue of parking fees and times parking is paid in The Town Square garages seems to be one of the most, if not the most, contentious and controversial issues facing the City. So, I would expect that the candidates for City offices would have positions on this issue, and I believe about two days is sufficient time for them to respond to an e-mail from a voter in a City of this size asking their position on this issue, since this issue has not just now arisen.For me, the issue is not so much about parking fees and parking hours (although I am very concerned about the City being business friendly and creating an atmosphere where all of the City’s businesses have the best possible opportunity to succeed), it is even more about what I perceive as the process by which the decisions about parking fees and parking hours at The Town Square garages have been determined and the issue seemingly is closed, apparently permanently, at least to many of the present City’s elected leadership.I think the second paragraph of the Reply that Deb wrote, here, had a lot of what concerns me. To quote her, “I don’t have a problem with the parking garage needing to be paid for. I DO have a problem with the other options not even being considered in the name of “that was our commitment and by golly we’re sticking to it.” (my paraphrase, not meant to be a direct quote) If an equally good (or maybe better?) solution is on the table, why not consider it, give it a trial period perhaps?”As for me quoting what the candidates have written to me, is what it is. I certainly have not misquoted any of the candidates’ responses. As far as me writing what I think about what the candidates have written, I think it’s in The First Amendment — freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
I received this e-mail, a few minutes ago. As Mr. Moore requested, and as I have with the others, I am quoting it in full:”Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 6:12 PMsubject Re: Your stance on parking fees and hours in The Town Square garages hide details 6:12 PM (38 minutes ago) Mr. Cooper-Martin:Thanks very much for your query to me on Town Center parking garages’ fees and hours. This is a hard question, and there are good arguments on both sides.The Mayor and Council’s choice is to: 1) Do nothing and continue to pay for shortfalls in the garage loan payments out of the general fund, which would come out of every taxpayer’s pocket, or 2) Expand the paid parking hours and shift the cost to the people actually using the garages and — only indirectly and partially — to Town Center merchants. The second choice, while not without its complications, is best. The garages were financed and built with the understanding that the paid hours would be longer. A tough economy does not erase that reality. Without the arrangement to pay for many hours of parking per week, there would be no garages at all, which would not have served anyone well.Having said that, there’s room for creative thinking on this issue. Councilmember Britton and Mayor Hoffmann’s idea to delay expanded hours for a week to avoid Restaurant Week was good and thoughtful, and it’s the kind of flexible response the city needs to tackle problems like this. It is a pity the proposal didn’t find support from Councilmembers Marcuccio, Robbins, or Gajewski. It was their last, best chance to help Town Center merchants on the parking issue, and they failed to help.The city must be careful in proceeding here. After expanding the paid parking hours, the Mayor and Council should closely monitor the revenues coming in, and act if they fall. The city should extend issuing limited numbers of parking vouchers to city residents. It should also actively listen to the experiences of the affected downtown merchants and make sure the impact of the expanded hours is not more than they can bear.Again, thank you for raising this issue with the council and mayoral candidates. It is my pleasure to share my views with you. If you choose to reprint my comments publicly, I would appreciate it if you would reprint them in full. Thank you!Sincerely,Tom Moore”
Is it true that the City does not get the rent from these merchants? Why doesn’t their landlord chip in to cut down the cost of parking? The merchants should be wailing to the landlord who collects the rent!
Wow! I forgot to give my opinion about what Tom Moore wrote. It seems to me, like he is willing to be flexible and consider options while monitoring the situation. Sounds like a good plan, to me.
Just to add my two cents real quick on Tom’s comments. My concerns with his response as well as the Council’s response is that any business owner/manager will tell you that we can’t just turn the parking policy on and off at will and expect the business to return to the Square. The City and the Citizens of Rockville have invested heavily in this project and if it fails or even grows slower than it could because of poor decision making the amount of money we are talking about today to subsidize these garages will pail in comparison to what we will owe when more businesses fail.The City subsidizes many programs that are good for the masses or what has been deemed as part of a master plan for the City. A big part of this vision for the City includes a livable and fairly dense Town Square. Town Square is the first part of that vision and deserves the support of the City during these very trying times for all. Certainly the state of the economy does need come into play when these types of decision are made. Let’s not be penny wise and pound foolish when it comes to the future of our town center. Thanks…..Trapper
Mr. Moore:You misrepresent my position.I never stated that I did not support the possibility of delaying the implementation of the new paid parking protocol for a week. I simply was not ready to take action on that proposal, or any proposal, on the fly. My elected office requires that I at least know some basic background and the pros and cons of a proposal before I support it (or oppose it).In the case of the proposal that was offered, there was no staff report of any kind. I could not possibility know if people have already been hired to implement the new system on October 5 (and would now have to dismissed for that week); if the machines were already reprogrammed for the effective date and at what cost would they need to be reprogrammed; if the proposal actually helped the restaurant owners (as we had no hearing on the matter, none actually weighed in on the proposal one way or the other). And how do other constituents evaluate the proposal?I also had other questions. The most burning one: why, with full knowledge of the new parking protocol starting on October 5 did the restaurant owners set Restaurant Week for the week of October 5? Was this deliberately planned? Or, did they simply not care about it (in which case, we should probably leave well enough alone)?The only information available that evening was the well intentioned, but perhaps not fully researched, offer of a lip-service, one week delay: that is not policy; that is a feel good measure that does nothing to address the core of the issue.Having said that, I fully agree with Mr. Cooper-Martin’s paraphrase of your position: we should be “willing to be flexible and consider options while monitoring the situation.”
Councilmember Gajewski:Thank you for taking the time to respond to my note to Mr. Cooper-Martin. I will respectfully disagree that I made any statement about what your position was on the Restaurant Week parking fee delay. My statement spoke to your actions, or lack thereof: A proposal was raised to try to mitigate the effects of the expanded hours on Restaurant Week, and you did not provide a second for the motion. I did not attempt to characterize why you failed to support the measure, nor will I now.But I will note that by refusing to second the measure, you short-circuited any discussion that could have shed light on the questions you now raise.I appreciate that you say we should be “willing to be flexible” on such matters, but when you were given the opportunity to act to address a problem with a little flexibility, you chose otherwise.If Rockville’s citizens see fit to elect me to the City Council next month, I will do my best to look at each issue before me and try to forge ideas into solutions, instead of finding reasons why they cannot work.
@Councilmember Gajewski:Thank you for your direct response.
I would like to know if this – “Having said that, I fully agree with Mr. Cooper-Martin’s paraphrase of your position: we should be ‘willing to be flexible and consider options while monitoring the situation.’” – means that you would be willing to take a look at alternatives? Preferably before people stop coming to TC in the evenings and weekends?In other words, if someone proposed a meeting to discuss alternatives like a dollar-a-day parking and more actively trying to pull in Metro Park’n'Ride users, would you be amenable to at least seconding the proposal to discuss?@other Councilmembers who may be lurking: Would you also?Or is the plan to wait until people find other venues and try to change it back against the momentum? (I really hope that’s not it.)The campaign signs are going up, and I’m taking notes as to who’s listening to me as a Rockville resident; I’m fairly sure, reading this thread, that I’m not the only one. 
Poor, poor merchants……y’all want a bailout like the banks, GM, AIG,, etc. Ask your federal reps for help? Seems to this 15-yr old kid (on his mother’s ancient dial-up ‘puter that y’all might not be in such bad shape as y’all claim……..have any of you presented your balance sheets, profit/loss statements to M/C while y’all beg for “peanuts?” Taxpayers are fed up…and should not be responsible for keeping so-so T/C merchants in business. Wonder if MBA profs teach begging for peanuts…….or perhaps they prefer to promote good business plans, products that people want/need, etc. I’msurprised that most of y’all starving merchants have survived T/C this long.Finally, can’t fathom a grocery/supermarket without free parking……no wonder they’re dragging their heels……..oh well, Mayor Larry, Robbins and Hoffmann…….y’all got your state-of-art parking garages…….we warned y’all……now taxpayers pay the piper for your folly……..let’s have a R/C contest to name the albatrosses?
@DebYes, of course, I am willing to look at alternatives.Yes, I am happy to meet with anyone to discuss alternatives.Yes, I would support a Mayor and Council discussion of a specific menu of alternatives (not a brainstorming session), provided the benefit of staff analysis of feasibility and budget impact of the alternatives. Should the alternatives have a negative budget impact, we should also be prepared to discuss what revenue streams are available to make up the shortfall and/or what City programs or projects would need to be sacrifices in order to balance the budget.
Mr. Moore, Mr. Gajewski and any RC reader following this thread: I remind you of comment #2 above: “At the September 14th Council meeting, Councilwoman Marcuccio asked why the parking garage issue was not on the next meeting’s agenda. She was told by City Manager Scott Ullery he did not “agendize” it. Ms. Marcuccio stated the Council should revisit the matter before the change goes into effect. She made a motion to reconsider the parking plan scheduled to go into effect October 5th, and to have it put on the agenda for the 9/21 meeting. It failed for lack of a second.”At the September 21 Council meeting there was an attempt to vote on something not on the agenda, again, to put a band-aid on a something needing major surgery. Delaying the extension of paid parking hours a week would have done nothing but save face. The mayor tried to line up votes before the meeting and when it failed, she accused Marcuccio of reneging, banged the gavel and adjourned the meeting. I recall Mr. Gajewski objected to the motion made by Mr. Britton on the 21st because it didn’t follow procedure, a good reason, but that’s an issue for another time.The one councilmember who showed leadership and big picture vision was Ms Marcuccio, and no one supported her attempt to get the issue on the agenda and on the table. I understand she met with merchants shortly after the last council meeting and continues to be out in front of the issue. I’m sure others will soon jump on the band wagon.
Parking fees of $1/hour will not prevent people from going to restaurants that provide good food. I, personally, did not find the restaurants at Rockville Town Centre compelling enough when the parking was free.If the restaurants really think that dollar is what’s holding them back, they should pay for people who park there on Oct. 5. The fact that some merchants bring up the parking issue is a bad sign that these businesses will not succeed. The taste of Bethesda happens every year, and I don’t see stories about how those “parking garages” are keeping people at home.But even beyond that, the only way Rockville’s parking fees will pay off the debt that is currently owed is if there is a large focus on bringing businesses which can employ people into the city on a daily basis which have to pay parking.I’ve seen cities try to make money by building parking lots, and I don’t think it’s a good strategy.
“JJ” — aren’t you Phyllis’ campaign manager?Rockville Central has reported that “Joe Jordan” is her manager. I don’t know if that’s you, but in the interest of transparency, it should be stated if it is true.
I could not find a way to directly ask candidate for City Council, Max van Balgooy, his position on this issue, as he uses a blog, but he replied in the following way. I have deleted his e-mail address, as I do not know if he wants that made public or not, since I could not find it on his website. Other than that, I have quoted his response, to my question to what his position on fees and hours for parking are, here:”Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 11:55 PMsubject Re: Town Square parkingmailed-by gmail.com hide details 11:55 PM (21 hours ago) I placed it on the same page that you first posted: http://maxforrockville.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/rockville-safe-from-politicians-this-weekend/Blogs can be difficult to navigate if you are seeking a specific subject, such as the Town Square, because it’s like reading a journal in reverse chronological order. I typically use the “search” feature or click on a category to find what I’m looking for. But again, I won’t be writing about the Town Square parking until the end of next week at the earliest because I need to respond to questions that people have asked me previously.”I replied: “Dear Mr. van Balgooy:Yes, your blog was difficult to navigate for me to seek the answer to a specific question, such as your position of fees and hours for parking in The Town Square garages. While I respect that you have several other people who have asked questions before I did who you want to answer first, since the issue I asked you has been at the forefront of debate, in Rockville, for quite some time, I thought you would have had a position on it. Of course, you can wait as long as you want to answer or not answer my question, I think waiting until the end of next week to answer it seems a tad unresponsive, I must say.Sincerely,John Cooper-Martin
I e-mailed candidate for City Council, Mark Pierzchala, his position on parking fees and hours for the Town Square parking garages, then I noticed, on his website, that he answers e-mail questions on his website. The closest answer I could find to my question was this:”Q: What should the parking fees be in Town Square?A: They should stay right where they are until the recession is over and the Super Fresh grocery store is in place. Then the parking fee hours should be expanded as has been long planned.”So, it seems like Mr. Pierzchala is in favor of expanding the parking hours, as soon as the recession is over, but I could be interpreting his answer incorrectly, since he did not answer my question specifically.
I am not sure what the Taste of Bethesda has to do with this but since you brought it up I will respond. The Taste of Bethesda was today for those that didn’t know, but the public garages in Bethesda don’t charge for parking on Saturdays so there would be no need to have stories written about the negative effects of it.Everyone understands the need to get these garages paid for, all we are asking is to have the City work with the merchants on the best way to make this happen while having the smallest impact on the businesses. I also want to note that this isn’t just a restaurant issue, in fact some of the merchants that are most concerned about this are individual retail business owners.
I want higher parking fees.That is, I want RTS to be successful *despite* higher parking fees.In order to accomplish this, RTS must add *real value* to people’s lives. This will not happen with mediocre shops and restaurants. This will only happen with *great* shops and restaurants — stores that offer something unique to people that they cannot easily find elsewhere.We really have a choice here. As someone pointed out, $1 isn’t much when you’re dropping $100 on a meal for three. But if you’re expecting your meal to cost $7, that $1 is huge.I don’t want people driving to RTS to buy $7 meals. $7 meals are mediocre. You can find fast food restaurants all up and down the Pike — there’s nothing special about them.I want RTS packed with restaurants you can’t find anywhere else, serving up such great food that people would gladly pay $7 — just for parking!I want the shops in RTS selling goods that no one else on the Pike or in the big boxes has.Essentially, I want excellence. I think excellence works. If people stop coming to RTS because they have to pay for parking, then RTS simply isn’t offering enough value.And for all you business owners that think it’s parking costs that are driving your customers away, there seem to be plenty of vacancies nowadays in the strip malls. Have at ‘em!
this is seeming like a personal obsession with parking fees and what the candidates say and don’t say. it’s repetitive and not terribly enlightening. except when people running someone’s campaign (apparently?) post in their defense without attribution–that’s interesting.i do not think this is a primary issue for people in rockville. the success of town square–yes.if you want “excellent” you are too late, imo…the one unique store was red orchard, which left. its bethesda parent store could no longer support this location.this is rockville–i do not think people here are big spenders and i do not think rockville is yet a “destination” for anyone outside our area.
Was not a surprise—I rode thru Town Center 8:00P Saturday nite, with many walking thru the square. But, can you believe retail stores wer closed for business. In the state of economy, many merchants would appreciate the window shoppers passing by. Go figure!!
I heard back from mayor, Susan Hoffmann, regarding her position on parking fees and hours for The Town Square parking garages. Her reply, excluding her e-mail address, is below:”date Sat, Oct 3, 2009 at 9:58 PMsubject Re: Fwd: Your position on parking fees and hours in The Town Square garagesmailed-by gmail.comsigned-by gmail.com hide details 9:58 PM (17 hours ago) Dear Mr Cooper-Martin: thank you for your inquiry and your interest in my position on issues related to parking in Town Square. I am awaiting staff analysis of the figures. Also, I am meeting with a group of merchants on Monday. After both seeing the data and the meeting, I will firm up my position, which will be part of the discussion at our Oct 12 meeting. Thanks again for your interest.Best, SusanSusan HoffmannMayorCity of Rockville”So, according to mayor Hoffmann, she has not decided yet on her position regarding the issues, about which I asked her, is awaiting for staff analysis, and will firm up her position, which will be part of the October 12 meeting.
@Theresa: Just to toss this into the mix: When my kids and I were going around town trying to find 100 Rockville residents who were registered voters to sign my ballot petition, we were surprised to find that roughly 85% of the people we stopped in Town Center or at the Regal Theaters were not Rockville residents. While that was utterly useless to me at that moment, I think it bodes well for Town Center’s future — it’s already more of a regional destination than I had expected it to be at this point. Tom
I wouldn’t call parking fees a “primary” issue for my family, no. That said, when I want to run to CVS, I’ll either bike (no parking fees) or, if my kids are along for the ride (which is most of the time), I’ll go to the CVS down the Pike with free parking. We’ve started going to the Twinbrook Library more often just b/c the parking machine has gotten to be a hassle – it’s easier to get two impatient kids into the library without waiting in line and punching the buttons. We already don’t go to many restaurants, but when we do, we usually hit up the ethnic restaurants up and down the Pike – more affordable for families in the first place, and yes, no parking fees.I’m mostly interested in what the candidates have to say because many of them have been part of the process already and as a voter I would like to know how responsive to my concerns the next M&C will be. This issue is one that provides such an opportunity. If I’m not being heard on this issue, I doubt I’ll be heard on other issues, while if the M&C are responding to their constituents (and potential constituents) here, I have more confidence that we’ll continue to be heard on other issues.
what makes you say YOU personally are not “being heard?” if someone disagrees with you that’s not the same thing as not being heard.keep in mind this thread reflects the views of less than half the candidates running in this election.there are three hourly metered spaces inside the garage right near CVS.
Oh, goodness, I never said I WASN’T being heard. I’m interested in reading how candidates respond to concerns, whether they’re hearing what the voters have to say and even acknowledging their thoughts and suggestions. If they still disagree, I’m fine with that, but to be dismissed out of hand would not sit well with me if it were to happen. There’s nothing like contacting an elected official and receiving a form letter not only to your original contact, but receiving the SAME form letter to your follow-up letters too.
(That wasn’t an M&C issue, but the experience did not inspire confidence.)At the moment, it seems that some are listening, some are not. Regardless of whether anyone on the Council agrees with my opinions or not, I’ll vote for those who value someone’s input as a citizen as much as they value our votes.BTW, I know there are short-term metered spaces by the CVS; I don’t always happen to have quarters in my pocket. A short drive down the Pike and it’s a non-issue. (Plus I don’t have to go past the “fragrant” dumpster in the garage with two kids, but that’s just a bonus. LOL)
Ms. Virginia Onley answered my e-mail, about 1:04 p.m. today, in which I previously had asked her position on parking fees and hours charged in The Town Square garages. I have quoted it here, except for her e-mail address and the other recipients, of the e-mail.”Mr. Cooper-Martin,Thank you for your interest in the parking fee/hours in the Town Square garages. I apologize in taking so long in getting back to you, but I wanted to review the final decision one more time to make sure it is indeed a final decision for the time being. Unfortunately this situation has caught the entire City between a rock and a hard place with no resolution currently in sight.It was always the agreement/understanding that patrons of Town Center would pay for their parking. The economy was booming and it was a viable, accepted plan. Since the economy is not doing well, I believe the only solution is for the business owners in Town Center and the City to get together and strategize about how to balance the City’s need for parking revenue with business’ interest in attracting clientele and with patrons’ interest in keeping fees to a minimum. Ultimately, of course, all interests will need to be met in order to make Town Center successful over the long haul. Perhaps a compromise solution could involve “staggering” the fees so that the first hour or two are free or reduced. Much work lies ahead in determining the range of possible approaches and implementing a mutually acceptable solution. I am committed to the work at hand.I welcome the opportunity to sit down with you to hear your ideas and concerns regarding this parking dilemma. Please let me know what day/time is convenient with you. There are rooms in the Town Center Library that will work as an ideal meeting location for the two of us. Thank you for reaching out to me.Respectfully,Virginia OnleyCandidate for Rockville City Councilwww.VoteVirginiaOnley.org”Ms. Onley’s e-mail seems to me that she would like the business owners and the City Council to work together to reach a solution, while keeping parking fees to the minimum, which is acceptable to both parties.
I received an e-mail from City Council candidate, John Britton. It is quoted below, except for his phone number, fax number and e-mail address, which I thought he might not want to have made public.”date Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 2:36 PMsubject RE: A question on your position about parking fees and hours in The Town Square garages hide details 2:36 PM (2 hours ago)”Mr. Cooper-Martin:I do apologize for not responding earlier. I have been reviewing information and meeting with interested parties on this. I would be more than willing to discuss this with you. If you like, you may call me at my office at (phone number deleted by John Cooper-Martin) or, if you prefer, send me a contact # for you and a convenient time and I will call you.Thanks for your interest in this and other issues of importance to our community. I notice that you are a regular contributor to the Rockville Central blog.Regards,John Britton”I e-mailed Mr. Britton back the following:”Dear Mr. Britton:Although we could talk, later, I really am interested in having your position, in writing, for the record. I do not want to distort your position.Yes, I am a frequent contributor to Rockville Central. There, I have quoted the other candidates positions, who have responded, to my question, in full, as you can see, if you read the Editorial Opinion posted by Brad Rourke: “Between a Rock and a Hard Place – Parking in Town Square” (except for the candidates’ e-mail addresses and phone numbers, which I thought the candidates might want to keep private) and I would do the same for yours.Also, on Rockville Central, I have also given some comments to almost all, if not all, of the candidates’ positions, on these issues, which readers can take for what they believe they are worth. While I believe in freedom of speech and the press, I certainly am in no position to pontificate; today’s readers are far too sophisticated and independent to just accept what I write without thinking through these issues themselves.Sincerely,John Cooper-Martin”
I received an e-mail from City Council candidate, Bridget Newton about 3:04 p.m. today, October 5. It is quoted below:”Dear Mr. Cooper-Martin: Thank you for your question and I apologize for not getting back to you earlier – we were in Ohio visiting our youngest for Parent’s Weekend. The issue of parking fees in the Town Center has taken center-stage over what should have been a discussion by the Mayor and Council on the best way to go forward in this economy. I have been very frustrated by their lack of discourse and problem solving – most of us have known for quite some time that there was a strong chance that the State would be making cuts in funding and that property-taxes could be hit as housing values dropped – all leading to a reduction in the General Fund and potentially impacting the surplus that the city is required to maintain. I have been impressed with the amount of effort the Town Square business owners have made to try and work with the city and the suggestions they have put forth on ways to bring in income for the garages without discouraging customers. I am disappointed that this item was kept off the agenda and therefore not discussed before the council took a 3 week break. I am not sure why Rockville’s Restaurant Week was scheduled to begin on the very day the additional parking fees were set to take effect – seems counter-productive to me – but it also seems as tho there is a huge disconnect. If businesses in Town Square are not successful – we all lose – including the taxpayers who are responsible for paying off the garages. We do not need another Rockville Mall. A better plan in my opinion would have been to have worked with Metro and other garages and instituted an all-day rate commensurate with theirs to encourage commuter parking, reduce the time periods that you can park to 20 or 30 minute increments, and increase advertising and signage so that people know the Town Square is here. I would hope that Rockville is working with FRIT as well as REDI and the Buy Rockville campaign to support the remaining businesses and to ensure that those taking over empty storefronts are compatible with their neighbors. Customers like to do several errands at once so we need to make it easy for them to come and take care of several things in one visit. Furthermore, we need to get a grocery open. It does Rockville no good that Super Fresh continues to pay rent to FRIT – we need foot-traffic in our stores and restaurants and people parking in the garages. Again, thank you for allowing me to share my opinion and I hope to meet you at one of the debates.Sincerely-Bridget Newton”From her e-mail, it seems to me, as though Ms. Newton is troubled by both the parking hours in the garage not being on the Council’s agenda of its last meeting and by Restaurant Week being scheduled when the parking hour increase was scheduled to go into effect. It seems, to me, as though Ms. Newton would like for a broad base of stakeholders to work together to solve the problems of parking fees, parking hours, and types of businesses in the Town Square garages so that another “Rockville Mall” is not repeated.
In Reply #30, I wrote that I had e-mailed candidate for City Council, Mark Pierzchala about his position on parking fees and hours charged for parking in The Town Square garages. I e-mailed candidate for City Council, Mark Pieizchala, and his position on parking fees and hours for the Town Square parking garages, then I noticed, on his website, that he answers e-mail questions on his website. The closest answer I could find to my question was this:“Q: What should the parking fees be in Town Square?A: They should stay right where they are until the recession is over and the Super Fresh grocery store is in place. Then the parking fee hours should be expanded as has been long planned.”I wrote, “So, it seems like Mr. Pierzchala is in favor of expanding the parking hours, as soon as the recession is over, but I could be interpreting his answer incorrectly, since he did not answer my question specifically.”I have since then received an e-mail from Mr. Pierzchala in which he directly states his position on these issues. It is quoted below, with the exception of his e-mail address, which I thought he might not want to be made public, as I have also done with the other candidates.”Re: A question about your position regarding parking fees and parking hours …6:16 AM (5 hours ago)October 5, 2009Dear Mr. Cooper,Once every 2 or 3 years, I have to drop nearly every non-essential item (including campaigning) from my schedule, in order to attend extra time to my job. The past week has been one of those rare occassions. I’m sorry it has taken so long to get back to you.For the rest of FY 2010 (that is until end of June 2010) I favor keeping the fees as they were before October 5. This is to give the Town Square time to recover from the recession. In the space of that 9-month reprieve, I would like to revisit the whole issue of parking fees. I’m not sure what can be done in FY 2011, which looks like an extremely difficult budget year. But I’ve taken the stance that the Town Square has a very high priority for me. I see it as more of a way of spending a relative low amount now to stabilize the situation, or perhaps pay much more later to try to recover from a very bad mess.Yours,Mark Pierzchala”So, it seems, to me, from Mr. Pierzchala’s e-mail, if I am interpreting it correctly, that he did not want to change the parking fees and parking hours, which were in effect before October 5, in order to give The Town Square businesses time to recover from the recession. He would like to give the businesses a reprieve from having parking fees and hours increased until at least June 2010. Then, he’s not sure what can be done in 2011, as 2011 looks like a very tight budget year, but he does not want The City to get a little bit from parking fees. from The Town Square garages, and have the businesses suffer, then for the City to pay for it by having what he terms “a big mess later.”
The following account of a tete a tete I had with Mark Mierzchala two yrs ago may be interesting to some of you wonks. It was at one of the debates, and I asked him what he thought about then Mayor Giammo’s successful campaign (over several years) to keep Verizon fios out of Rockville. Those of y’all, like m’self who are fed up with the “quality” of Comcast service, and who have been waiting for such a long time for fios in Rockville…….should know that Mr Pierzchala told me that he “agreed with the Mayor’s position on Verizon fios.” For me that is enough reason to vote for other Council candidates and not for him.I also wonder if he supported former Mayor G’s successful campaign to build our infamous state-of-the-art garages? Do you think Mr. Pierzchala can remember that far back……..don’t know why not, I can. I can’t resist reminding him that riding his bicycle throughout Rockville and perfect attendance at M/C meetings is not reason enough for him to be elected, even though he thinks so.. In my not so humble opinion, Mr P. should instead devote more attention to his job.
To add to Mr. Cooper-Martin’s summary of my position on Town Square parking: In my press release on Town Square parking, in addition to supporting a freeze of the parking rates as they existed before October 5, I also called upon Federal Realty to modify the mix of retail in Town Square. In other words, in this public/private venture the public sector should do something and so should the private sector. The retail in Town Square is not diverse enough and that is a major impediment to its success.To reply to Saul’s comments about Verizon FIOS and my support of then Mayor Giammo’s position: If you wish to remember that far back for your current voting position, that is your business. But Mayor and Council had every right, and the duty, to make sure Verizon acted in a responsible way and without undue cost to the City. What it took to get the current agreement was the City Manager’s direct involvement to move the negotiations along and that was done. And that was done to the City taxpayers’ benefit.I did not support the ‘state-of-the-art’ parking system that was too expensive and that has proved to be inflexible.By the way, thanks for noting my near-perfect attendance at Mayor and Council over the past 3 years and the fact that I’m constantly on my bike.Mark Pierzchala
“In my not so humble opinion, Mr P. should instead devote more attention to his job.”wow, this is such a rude comment and a personal attack. he has the right to run for office. how do you know he’s not doing his “job?”for shame.
I seem to recall Mayor Giammo’s concerns over FiOS was that Verizon was only going to install it in the more affluent neighborhoods. Which is unfair. And there was concern as to the digging up the right of ways, accidentally cutting gas lines, etc. FiOS is here so quit your yapping. Plus, regarding the state of the art parking system, I quite like it. I think it’s super convenient to know which spaces are open and which ones aren’t. And I bet you that very soon, in a few years or so, this state of the art system won’t be so state of the art. I found Mayor Giammo to be quite reasonable and wish he were still mayor. Though Susan has my vote.
[...] recent opinion piece on the sticky question the Mayor and Council are facing when it comes to parking in Town Square has generated more [...]
@Theresa: I’ve come to the conclusion that only time and maturity can overcome the impulse to engage more in talking/writing about oneself (including standard repeated reminders about one’s age and one’s use of another’s computer and even the age of said computer) than the issue at hand, and that until substantive dialogue does occur, it just isn’t likely to be constructive to respond to anything less. *wink*(said with tongue firmly in cheek
)Back on topic, I’m very much appreciating the different viewpoints and contributions from different Council members and candidates.
As H.L. Mencken said, we’ll get the government we deserve. Wonder how many of y’all wonks, especially Anonymous, Deb and Der Defino even know who Mencken was? And as Hans the Flying Ace said, I’d rather go down in flames……to wit I’d rather vote the bums out.
Der Defino???I know who Mencken was. I will give one of his quotes back to you as you keep repeating yourself:”Firmness in decision is often merely a form of stupidity. It indicates an inability to think the same thing out twice.”
Okay everybody, this thread has a lot of useful remarks but it’s become a fight now, so I am closing comments on this article. Commenting remains open for other articles.