Newmarket is going ahead with extending its downtown Main Street parking time limits to two hours on evenings and weekends.
Council’s committee of the whole approved the change Dec. 5, representing an increase from the universal 30-minute parking limits on Main Street. The extended limit will kick in after 5 p.m. on weekdays, as well as any time on weekends.
Bob Kwapis, councillor for Ward 5 which includes the downtown area, thanked staff for working with businesses to understand their needs.
"In the evening, when someone is looking to go into dinner or whatever it is, we should extend that,” Kwapis said. “It’s a very good balance.”
The move comes after concerns from some businesses and residents that the 30-minute limit is not enough for everything, like restaurant dining. Although BIA polling found support for continuing the existing 30-minute limit implemented during the pandemic, some businesses have sought more. The town’s own polling of downtown businesses found that about half of them had customers visit between one and three hours.
A majority of businesses, 57 per cent, supported the idea of a variable parking time limit, according to town polling.
Mayor John Taylor said he felt the 30-minute parking limit has worked well to keep spaces open regularly.
“As a marking tool, [it] has been excellent,” he said. “It sends the message there’s parking available because it’s so constant … Before, people were spending a lot of time, and a long time, in those spots.”
Deputy Mayor Tom Vegh suggested a card program to allow some daytime businesses to offer parking for longer than 30 minutes. He said some, like lawyer's offices, operate more in the day but do not necessarily lend themselves well to 30 minutes.
“We’re not going to get 100 per cent agreement on everything,” Vegh said. “I do think there are places where the normal business transaction cannot be done within 30 minutes.”
Town staff did offer an option in its report to have parking time limits tailored to specific businesses but indicated it would take time and more consultation to implement something like that.
“It would be very complicated and confusing,” Clerk Lisa Lyons said, adding that staff could look at downtown parking again in a year and make changes if needed.
The staff report indicated that the new rules could come into effect early in the new year, with enforcement starting in earnest in February.
Taylor said those staying longer can park further out, and there will be a boost to that with approximately 100 new parking spaces planned in the future for the current tennis court site.
“You can find a spot almost always just shortly off the street, not too great a distance,” Taylor said. “We’ve got some good direction there.”
The change will still need to be confirmed at a council meeting later this month.
