Board of Aldermen weighs parking options

Parking in Carrboro sometimes feels scarce — and the Board of Aldermen hopes to improve that.

In a meeting that featured a piece of World War I poetry to honor U.S. veterans read by Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton, as well as a resolution to honor the town employees who provided relief to victims of the June 30 flash floods, the major issue debated was the potential for a new parking study in Carrboro.

Jeff Brubaker, the town’s transportation planner, brought forward a two-part resolution that updated the current work on new parking plans.

“A parking plan is a formal process for addressing the issues in a comprehensive way,” Brubaker said.

The estimated cost of the plan at this point is between $75,000 and $100,000 — a number Brubaker said was average for these types of studies. He said he’d heard of plans costing as little as $40,000 and as much as $300,000.

While the aldermen agreed a plan was needed, they disagreed about the end goal of the plan.

Alderman Sammy Slade said the end goal of a parking plan should be to reduce parking in the town.

Alderman Jacquelyn Gist argued no clear goal for the project has been decided yet, and the board cannot make assertive statements at this point.

Instead, Gist said the aldermen should go into this planning process with an open mind about what the town’s planners will find through their research.

The need for a town parking plan surfaced earlier this year after seven cars were towed from the Carr Mill Mall parking lot in a two and a half hour span during the Carrboro Music Festival.

While the aldermen agreed that the property owner had the right to tow the unauthorized vehicles from his private lot, the town later decided to launch the parking study to ensure that it could support increased parking for the growing downtown area.

Although the plans are still in the beginning stages, Brubaker said a great deal of research is going into the project.

“One of the tough things about beginning a parking plan is where you are going to study,” he said.

Gist asked how the project could feature unbiased input.

“Everybody does have a parking ideology to some extent,” Brubaker said.

Brubaker said he was optimistic that groups with experience in parking plans could be contacted for guidance.

Slade said the board does support the project.

“We are all on board,” Slade said. “I dont think any of us disagree.”

The aldermen now must decide what end goal the plan should seek to satisfy.

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