BIDDEFORD — The City Council will soon have to address a question that has hung over downtown Biddeford for a while now: As the city continues to realize its vision of downtown revitalization, where will people park?

Mayor Alan Casavant said in an email Monday that businesses moving into the city’s relatively compact downtown area are taking up available parking. Furthermore, he said, as more people flock to downtown Biddeford for its burgeoning food and arts scenes, among other draws, there will be a greater demand for parking.

Casavant said that if the issue of limited parking isn’t addressed soon, he fears the consequences could be twofold: It could slow economic development in the city, which would subsequently increase taxes for its residents.

“No parking will stymie maximum development of the downtown and the mills, and that will impact the tax rate, as more mill and downtown development will stabilize the mill rate, thus benefiting taxpayers,” he said.

Parking is far from a new issue in Biddeford. In November, a citizens’ initiative asked residents if parking meters should be installed downtown, and more than 87 percent of voters said no.

Prior to that vote, in 2011, the city asked Winton Scott Architects and Rich & Associates, a consulting firm that specializes in parking design, to conduct a downtown parking feasibility study. Their report, which was released in 2012, found that a “parking system” should be implemented in Biddeford.

Casavant said the “core element” of that system would be “a parking structure of some sort.” But, he added, while many councilors claimed they were against the construction of parking garages when they ran for office, other solutions are “not ideal.”

Some have lobbied for knocking down existing buildings and using that land for surface lots, he said, but that reduces tax revenue.

“Unfortunately, the destruction of buildings eliminates any tax revenue that the maximized usage of such buildings can offer,” said Casavant. “I would much rather have a building paying taxes than a surface lot … not paying much of anything.”

Although voters have spoken up against installing parking meters, Casavant said no matter what solution is implemented, it’s important that those who use any parking space are the ones paying for it.

Councilor Michael Swanton said in an email Monday that he thinks the council’s “hands were tied” by last year’s vote.

“The public wants the mill owners to build a parking garage and the mill owners want the public to put it up,” he added, “so I don’t see anything happening until people get frustrated by not being able to find a place to park.”

At a recent Heart of Biddeford meeting, Swanton said he was the only person in a room full of a dozen who didn’t think the city has a parking problem. But he said that mentality itself is part of the problem.

“I was also the only person in the room that didn’t work downtown,” he said. “I think that is the root of the problem. The people that voted for no parking meters are probably like me. I’m in town for an hour and then gone.”

He also said that people must remember there’s no such thing as free parking. If you opt for no meters, “free parking” then comes out of your taxes, he said.

In an email Monday, Councilor Bob Mills said a new ad-hoc committee, which the mayor created to examine “all downtown issues,” will soon be moving forward regarding this issue.

Mills added that his “top priority” is “the development of a parking management plan.”

— Staff Writer Angelo J. Verzoni can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or averzoni@journaltribune.com.