Parking meters

The times they are a changin’

by Tai Oyegunle

Silver Spring small business owners may be able to rest a little easier, and residents may be able to save a little change now that a controversial parking meter plan could be delayed, if not rescinded.

In May, the Montgomery County Council voted unanimously to extend parking meter hours in Silver Spring, Wheaton, Bethesda and Montgomery Hills. Under the plan, metered parking would extend to Saturday and could begin as early as 7 a.m. and end as late as 10 p.m. on weekdays.

Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-District 5) said the initial plan may not meet its July 1 enactment and could be delayed or dismissed. “The parking plan situation is probably now going to be revised,” Ervin said. The “county executive believes we made a mistake.”

Ervin cited an equity issue as a cause for revision because the initiative targets only certain areas of the county. “I came to the conclusion that (the merchants) had an excellent point. Why should the central business district around Ellsworth have free parking nights and weekends?”

Silver Spring garages on Ellsworth Drive and Wayne Avenue will continue to be free and operate independently of the parking plan because they are under contract with the original developer.

Local business owners banded together and petitioned the County Council to at least revisit its decision, if not rescind it.

Although optimistic of a revision, Ervin said the plan may only be delayed. If so, “The plan will probably not go into effect until Aug. 1,” Ervin said.

Many business owners said the County Council failed to inform them of its initial decision, leaving them clueless about parking changes until recently. “I don’t know in what fashion (the parking plan) was publicized. I don’t know how it came to pass,” Jackie Greenbaum, owner of Jackie’s Restaurant on Georgia Avenue, said.

Greenbaum said she only became aware of the potential meter changes after reading a May 23 Gazette article. She expressed a “common concern that it was almost universal that no one knew” about the initiative.

John Landis, president of the South Silver Spring Merchant’s Association and owner of Crisfield Seafood Restaurant, expressed similar concerns. “This whole thing seems to have come out of nowhere,” Landis said.

Ervin said the County Council held public hearings on the proposed meter changes but “didn’t hear from the South Silver Spring business community until recently.” The “Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce sent notices out to businesses,” Ervin said. “The Council can never take action until the public is notified. If people didn’t get notification-- that happens sometimes.”

Greenbaum, a member of the South Silver Spring Merchant’s Association, drafted a petition letter, which she presented to local businesses. She and other merchants mobilized in a door-to-door effort to garner signatures and support against the parking plan.

Local Business owners and residents responded strongly to Greenbaum’s grassroots approach in opposition to the initiative with more than 100 signatures.

Although voted on unanimously by the Montgomery County Council, the initiative continues to receive criticism from restaurant and small business owners who say the extended meter hours will negatively impact their businesses.

“Parking is crucial to my business,” Greenbaum said. Merchants are concerned extended meter hours and restrictions on free parking will alienate customers.
“I think it’s a terrible idea, and the damage is gonna be far greater than they anticipate,” Greenbaum said. “It’s customary for most metropolitan areas to have free evening parking.” She said many customers unaware of the changes will expect free evening parking but could be greeted with parking tickets.

If the initiative is not overturned, the revenue from parking fees will go toward the city’s debt. “The Silver Spring parking district owes money because it never paid for itself (and is) running in a deficit,” Ervin said. “Every parking lot district has to pay for itself.”

Whether the parking plan is retracted or remitted, the County Council’s goal is to “make this a more equitable situation,” Ervin said. However, many business owners remain uneasy, awaiting the County Council’s decision. “All of us are very, very concerned,” Greenbaum said.

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