BIDDEFORD — Biddeford City Council drove further down the road in the approval process of a proposed parking garage to spur the city’s economic engine on Tuesday, when they approved authorization of a design plan and location for the structure.

Although future votes are necessary before the council greenlights the project, the council chose the former site of the Maine Energy Recovery company waste-to-energy incinerator at 3 Lincoln St. as the location for a garage in a 6-3 vote. Councilors John McCurry, Laura Seaver and Robert Quattrone cast the dissenting votes.

If given final approval, the proposed parking structure, which is viewed by many as a necessity for continued economic development in the downtown and mill district, would be located on the same site where the incinerator stood, a facility that was blamed for the economic stagnation of the area.

Two other sites were being considered for a parking garage, a privately owned location on the Pepperell Mill Campus and the city-owned Washington Street parking lot. 

The initial phase of the parking garage would create 514 parking spaces, if a second phase is built there would be a total of about 760 spaces. The estimated cost for phase one of the structure is $10.4 million.

A number of people poised to speak their mind or whether or not Biddeford should build a parking garage, and if so where it should be, attended Tuesday’s meeting.

Many said they favored a parking garage but that it should be financed by the private not the public sector.

The garage as proposed would be financed by a revenue bond, which needs only council not resident approval. The bond would be paid for by garage user fees as well as fees for parking in public lots, which currently provide free parking. Councilors noted that parking on Main Street and some of the other streets in the city center would remain free. In addition, money from the Tax Increment Financing funds would also be used. TIF funds are made up of taxes on new valuation in an area that makes up a specific TIF district.

Some, like Toni Truesdale who has a studio in downtown Biddeford, felt the garage was unnecessary.

“I don’t think we have a parking problem,” she said. She said many small businesses in the downtown are struggling and that if there was a move to charge for parking it would hurt those businesses and push people to shop elsewhere like neighboring Saco or Kennebunk.

Resident Kathy Russell said she favored a parking garage, as long as it was paid for by the private sector. She said when the Maine Energy incinerator closed (it was purchased in 2012 by the city for $6.65 million and closed shortly after the sale) the city lost over $800,000 in tax revenue. “Now the mill owners need to pick up the slack,” she said.

Running a small business in the city center is “challenging,” said Matt Swaford, owner of High Rollers Glass and Gifts located at 20 Alfred St., who spoke against building a parking garage. “The last thing the city needs is more obstacles.” 

Other business owners, like Danielle Ouellette, whose family owns The Hamburger Stand on Elm Street, and Ricky Robitaille, owner of Louis Pizza, which recently relocated to 52 Franklin St., said they were against a parking garage and any associated paid parking in areas that are currently free parking, which they feel would hurt their businesses.

Many who spoke against building a parking garage, or at least building one financed by the public sector, said if the structure was to go forward the best location would be on the city-owned Washington Street parking lot, as it was more centrally located to downtown businesses.

But some were against that location, like Robitaille and Joan Ladakakos, owner of George’s Sandwich Shop at 37 Franklin St. Both of their businesses are across from the Washington Street lot.

Robatialle said his food is very affordable and doesn’t believe his clientele or his staff will want to or be able to afford to pay for parking.

“If that parking garage were put in that Washington Street location you might as well put us out of business,” Ladakakos said.

The only member of the public who spoke unequivocally in favor of a parking garage was former councilor and resident Richard Rhames. He said that the public sector should foot the bill for a parking structure as it would be part of the city’s infrastructure, which “we all own.”

Rhames noted that the public pays for roads, which allows box stores to locate away from city centers, and historically paid for the railroad system and canals that were necessary for economic development. It’s a “sickness,” he said, that “we have to rely on the private sector to float all of our boats.”

There hasn’t been enough education of the public about the issue, said Councilor Laura Seaver who voted against authorizing a parking garage design and locating a garage on the former Maine Energy site.

But the majority of the council, along with Mayor Alan Casavant, favor a parking garage.

“I think it is in the best interest of the city,” Councilor Norman Belanger said.

There would continue to be free parking on Main Street, Lincoln Street and some other downtown streets he said in addressing the fears of business owners and others who think a parking garage means there would be a fee for all or most downtown parking thus discouraging people from coming to the area.

There is no such thing as “free parking,” Belanger said, as taxpayers foot the bill to pave and plow the roads, strip the parking spots and perform other road and parking lot maintenance.

“We won’t get the mill owners to pay for it” as there are too many players, he said. But said Belanger, the money to fund a parking garage won’t come from taxpayers, it will be funded by the TIF and parking garage users.

Because of increased investment in the downtown and mill district, those areas “are the best place to get new value to pay bills,” City Manager James Bennett said.

In addition, building a parking garage “is going to help stabilize the tax rate in Biddeford,” said Councilor Michael Swanton who said he was initially against the garage until he researched the issue.

Not going forward with a parking garage would signal to potential developers that the city doesn’t believe in itself, Councilor Marc Lessard said. “If we say no this potentially stifles growth … for a long time,” he said.

“I don’t think doing nothing is appropriate at this juncture,” Casavant said. “I think we have to make a stand. … Biddeford is alive and kicking and I want everyone to know about it.

— Associate Editor Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324, or dmendros@journaltribune.com.