FREEPORT
In a town where shopping is king, being able to find a parking space is the equivalent of holding keys to the kingdom.
But the current retail environment here isn’t as robust as it was more than 20 years ago, when the parking ordinance last was overhauled. Because of that, municipal planning officials say small businesses are bearing an undue burden.
Town Planner Donna Larson said there is adequate parking in the village retail area to support current economic activity.
“There is no shortage of parking in the village right now,” Larson said.
However, due to a quirk of Freeport’s Comprehensive Plan, small business owners are held to the same parking requirements as larger businesses. Because they have less foot traffic and do proportionally less volume than their bigger, more visible and accessible counterparts, the parking requirements are “difficult and expensive,” Larson said.
A proposal recommended by the Planning Board would change that. A public hearing on the changes is scheduled for the Town Council’s Jan. 22 meeting at 6:30 p.m.
For the full story, see Friday’s edition of The Times Record, in print or online.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less