Schenectady business owners debate parking

PHOTOGRAPHER: Kathleen Moore

Union Street business owners and residents came out in force Monday to argue about whether one owner’s parking spots should be taken away.

In the end, they said, it came down to whether it was more important to let one business keep its parking or create more parking for the entire neighborhood.

“Union Street is a community. This is not about one business,” said Jerry Griggs, one of many who spoke in favoring of taking all of the land in front of Ferri’s Formals and Bridals to build a small parking lot.

But others said businesses that already have parking shouldn’t have to give it up.

“I paid more for my property in downtown Schenectady because it has five parking spaces,” attorney Kathleen Toombs said, calling the thought of losing her spaces “appalling.” She warned that small business owners are listening — and are well aware that they could move to the suburbs and have abundant parking.

The City Council public hearing stretched on for well over an hour. In the end, city officials insisted they were still negotiating and took bridal shop owner Marylu Aragosa’s attorney and civil engineer into a law office to talk. City Council members said they wanted to find an alternative to taking the property.

Aragosa’s engineer, Reuben Hull, presented a plan in which the city could create more parking by adjusting medians on two side streets, rather than taking Aragosa’s narrow parking lot. The proposal would create 12 spots. Taking Aragosa’s land, as well as that of the neighboring business owners who agreed to sell, would create 11 spots.

Marie DeBrocky, who owns Head to Tail, one of the neighboring businesses, acknowledged that giving up parking just outside her front door will be a sacrifice.

“Don’t kid yourselves. I will be affected by this,” she said. “But it’s worth it.”

She said the current parking arrangement is simply unsafe, because drivers block each other in on a narrow lot. When they leave, they back out while maneuvering around parked cars, and then go over a curb to reach the street.

“I’ve almost hit people in front of my own business,” DeBrocky said. “The real problem is parking, period. We don’t have enough of it.”

She was one of several who asked the council to add more parking in the Upper Union Street corridor.

Parking is so tight that jewelry store owner Sondra Stephens said she offered the city all the land in front of her store. The city didn’t accept her offer.

“I would have given all my space to put in diagonal parking,” she said, adding that Aragosa will like the new lot.

“It’s not going to be that bad,” Stephens said. “It’s going to be better for everybody.”

Stephens waved a small orange sign reading, “Finish the job!” That was a common phrase among the eight business owners who spoke in favor.

Aragosa said non-customers just don’t understand how many customers she’d lose without adjacent parking.

She was supported by brides who told the council that parking was essential.

Sarah Pettinelli sent her father to pick up her $4,500 bridal gown during a blizzard the day before her wedding in February. Employees dug out a space for him to pull up in front of the store so the gown could be rushed into the car without being damaged by the snow.

“I saved every penny for four years for it,” she said, explaining that she chose a store with direct parking so that her custom-made silk dress wouldn’t be hurt by the elements.

In the proposed plan, diagonal parking would be available in a curbside lot about 30 feet from the store — but Aragosa wouldn’t be able to set aside spots for her customers.

The council may vote April 25 on whether to take the property. But acting mayor Gary McCarthy stressed to the public that the city won’t rush to take action.

“We’re still negotiating to try to come to some resolution,” he said, describing the eminent domain proceeding as a fall-back option so the roadwork can begin if negotiations fail.

In other business, the council honored volunteers with four proclamations thanking them for their impact on the city. They recognized Judy Atchinson, who runs a free inner-city youth arts program called Quest; A Place For Jazz, an all-volunteer group that has brought internationally renowned musicians to Schenectady for 25 years; and local crime victims who fought for more help and support. They also honored all volunteers, saying they are vital to the city’s future.