Petoskey’s Other Giant Hole: Parking

Opinion

Sept. 30, 2017

According to numerous studies and consultants that have been commissioned and paid for by the city of Petoskey, the sustainability and overall health of a downtown depends on a few key elements. Urban living space, they say, is a key pillar.

Petoskey’s downtown possess an abundance of potential building spaces that are ripe for renovation, and construction and reassignment already have begun in various locales. But our city’s parking infrastructure is antiquated and insufficient. And it still proves to be a deterrent for both building owners not willing to sacrifice commercial parking in exchange for residential occupation, and for the numerous potential inhabitants who won’t take up residence without the guarantee of assigned parking. 

Parking has long been an issue for Petoskey. Our approximately 400 metered parking spots created in the 1940s (and a controversy ever since) and their non-metered brethren can never hope to accommodate the thousands of tourist and shoppers that descend on Petoskey each season. 

The expectation of any progress, prosperity, or sustainability for our downtown — without implementing the investments such advances and maintenance require — is simply impractical. And it’s irresponsible — unless one believes the finite parking already failing to provide for our existing downtown visitors and employees can possibly support any additional residential influx, or other amenities that encourage commerce and stability. 

Sufficient parking, in addition to many other obvious objectives, would  hopefully eliminate the insane policy of penalizing visitors for parking for more than three hours at metered spots while  they shop. A policy implemented to encourage turnover, as well as to inhibit employees and merchants from occupying spots intended for shoppers, the three-hour limit only further alienates and confuses those wishing to support our downtown merchants. The elephant in the room here is that the city has never designated space for merchants and employees, who would be more than happy to comply, if only such a location existed. 

If the recession of 2008 and the resulting catastrophic unemployment rate reminds us of anything, it should be how dependent northern Michigan is on our 130-year history as one of the premier resort destinations in the country.

The 1950s saw Petoskey receive international attention for its Gaslight District and its high-end shops that boasted direct connections to sister boutiques in Paris, as well as Naples and Palm Beach, Florida. In 1947, 215 Howard St. became home to Saks Fifth Avenue. Petoskey is still home to great shops, but with the recent loss of what should be anchor establishments — Apple/Mac Professionals, and Seguey Transportation — and of local institutions like Horizon Books, the Life is Good boutique, and 114-year old Jesperson’s restaurant, one has to address the overall declining commercial atmosphere of Petoskey’s downtown.

While I personally do not agree Petoskey is experiencing a negative financial climate, I do think we have a terribly outdated infrastructure and a lackadaisical agenda for improvement. They deter both our local residents and tourists, resulting in far less foot traffic and revenue for businesses while simultaneously failing to provide the opportunity for those wishing to experience all Petoskey has to offer.

The effects of Petoskey’s parking deficit are cumulative and compounding. Prosperous shops contribute to the overall aesthetics and health of the community. They are able to contribute with maintenance and improvements to our historical buildings, many of which date back to the late 1800s, and all requiring continuous provision. Unprosperous shops, at best, persist while letting maintenance slide, and at worst, close altogether.

Prosperous stores also pay taxes that should go to help to sustain and improve our city’s infrastructure. Approached with the alarming number of storefront turnovers and vacancies in recent seasons, our downtown development association confidently declares we are well within the “expected average or norm.” My perspective is that each store closing represents the loss of a neighbor’s dream of entrepreneurship, along with the financial and emotional loss that accompanies such a traumatic event, and should be considered anything but acceptable or average.

For over four decades, very practical and viable solutions have been discussed and studied, including parking decks and the now-defunct idea of running a tram on city-owned tracks to peripheral lots. All have returned to limbo while the most common complaint from vistors continues to be lack of parking and, from merchants, reduced or unsustainable foot traffic and revenue. 

I feel that we as merchants are competing with our own downtown. It seems little consideration is given to the complaints and suggestions we receive and forward each season about the obviously disproportionate amount of parking spaces available to businesses. Now our plight is being further exacerbated by the recent implementation of even harsher parking penalties that triple the citation fees for “chronic abusers” and exponentially accelerate the additional charges for those that do not pay on time.

It’s disappointing that the first substantial changes in years that have been made to our parking situation in Petoskey offer no practical effect other than to be punitive and counterproductive to attracting guests already frustrated by the archaic system.

Petoskey has both the ability and responsibility to incorporate the necessary resources to adequately accommodate our guests and help ensure a vibrant downtown, one complete with thriving shops, restaurants, and foreseeable residential living spaces, while still retaining our charm, history and tradition. Or maybe we should simply park in the GIGANTIC HOLE.

Christopher Struble is the president of The Michigan Hemingway Society, owner of a small local business, a historian, and avid outdoorsman residing in Petoskey.