BIDDEFORD — A parking management plan, including a parking garage, will be a boon to economic development in Biddeford, city officials say, and the momentum on all things parking is growing.

“I think a PMP (parking management plan) is going to foster economic development growth,” Economic Development Director Mathew Eddy told the City Council when it met to learn more about a draft of a parking management plan on June 12. The need for the plan came about as the council since last year has discussed the possibility of building a parking garage to address parking concerns in the downtown and mill district.

Some business and property owners in both areas have cited lack of parking as a detriment to economic development.

“We think that predictability of parking in the downtown is critical to people who are investing in properties in the downtown, that’s what they’ve told us,” Eddy said.

“By solving the parking problem we expect that we will have substantial growth,” he said. The city estimates when the mill district property is fully developed, excluding 3 Lincoln St., it will bring an additional $100 million in value to the city, taxable value that can help stabilize property taxes. Eddy contrasted that to the $68 million value of the Biddeford Crossing shopping complex on Route 111.

A draft of the parking management plan, or PMP, was discussed at a special City Council meeting on June 12.

City staff created the PMP draft after holding several listening sessions for the public to address their concerns, a point in time and business surveys, and other considerations.

City staff has created ordinance amendments necessary to implement the plan which the council will discuss and could vote on them on Tuesday. The amendments deal with issues such as being able to more quickly change time limits for specific parking spots and addressing charging for parking spaces at city-owned lots, which are currently free to users.

In addition to the parking plan, on Friday the mayor’s task force on parking looked at proposals from two consulting firms to act as an impartial third party to review plans for the parking garage as they progressed.

“(The council) wanted a third-party review so they can bounce questions off,” Biddeford Chief Operating Officer Brian Phinney said. Both firms, he said, met the criteria of the Request for Proposals. Both have solid resumes related to parking structures in New England.

Staff will interview the firms and make a recommendation to the council which will have the final say, City Manager James Bennett said.

The task force also looked at the 30 percent complete concept design for the parking garage, created by Desmond Design Management, Phinney said. The council hired the firm in January to design the garage.

The design will likely be completed by the end of the year, Bennett said, at that time the council would request construction bids. The council can decide anytime prior to accepting a bid against building a parking garage.

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