GREENFIELD — Certain recommendations from the downtown parking study have been implemented, with more changes on the horizon.
In particular, signs on Prospect Avenue, Prospect Street, Congress Street and Park Street have been updated and clarified to only allow parked vehicles displaying resident parking permits, according to the Mayor’s Office. Vehicles with employee (paid) parking permits are no longer allowed in these spaces.
Residents in these neighborhoods may acquire a free resident parking permit from the Treasurer/Collector’s Office. Two permits are currently allowed per household.
Additionally, resident permit signs will be removed on sections of Hope, Franklin and Church streets, and employee permit signs will be removed on the south side of Church Street. The parking in these areas will now be unrestricted, free parking.
These changes follow the results of a parking study that was completed by the consulting firm Stantec in late April. The study, which was funded by a $25,000 Massachusetts Downtown Initiative grant, found that parking supply in the city significantly outweighs demand, with roughly half of the nearly 3,000 spots in the downtown area being empty at all times.
Jason Schrieber, senior principal at Stantec, shared the results of the study in a presentation at the John Zon Community Center in June.
In general, Schrieber said, there is “plenty of availability in the overall system at all times.” That said, it’s not being used appropriately, with Schrieber citing the data regarding vacant spaces.
Some recommendations he shared included drafting clear zoning guidelines, establishing a shared district (between public and private) and sharing parking facilities, identifying employee needs, potentially expanding the permit program, increasing permit costs while providing more payment options (monthly, for example), increasing ticket fines but also eliminating time limits so as to encourage customers to buy as much time as needed, and converting underused parking space into safety improvements and public spaces. Schrieber emphasized in particular that parking fees should match demand.
More recently, members of the Prospect Street area gathered to discuss the future of the Hope Street parking lot — currently home to the temporary fire station. The talk eventually transitioned into a discussion of parking in their neighborhood.
Overwhelmingly, those who spoke during the meeting seemed to advocate for returning the temporary fire station to parking, expressing concerns that their neighborhood is over-burdened by parking, specifically permit parking, making it difficult to park their own vehicles or those of guests.
“The permit parking is the problem,” resident Marc Odato said during the informal group discussion in August, which was attended by Mayor Roxann Wedegartner. “It’s not my neighbors.”
In addition to the permitting changes, residents in these neighborhoods will have clearly marked spaces to park their vehicles.
According to the Mayor’s Office, further parking changes will be announced by the city “in the near future.”
Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.