DOVER — Diana Welch, owner of both the Grey Fox Grille & Public House and the Golden Fleece Tavern in downtown Dover, has a lot invested into making sure the Loockerman Street corridor continues to attract shoppers and those looking to grab a bite.

Those investments are why she is so adamant about slowing down Downtown Dover Partnership’s plan to bring metered parking to the area as early as January.

Ms. Welch sent an email to the city Saturday, requesting to get on a City Council meeting agenda at the earliest opportunity to oppose proposed parking meters downtown.

She said she is not alone in her opposition, as a petition she put out regarding the issue received 384 signatures, including several store owners, in its first 20 hours.

“We do not think this is the time to propose such a measure, given the incredible financial hurdles that merchants, residents, and landlords have faced since the pandemic began,” Ms. Welch wrote to the city. “Additionally, we respectfully request city council retain authority over final decisions since this impacts a much larger constituency than just downtown and is of wider scope than DDP.

“I am not asserting that we should not explore any and all potential solutions to problems facing downtown, but this is putting the cart before the horse. Additionally, the timing on this could not have been more insensitive. Most merchants are facing the worst financial crisis of their lives and struggling to survive the pandemic, (so) suggesting a radical change in the fundamental way we do business that could cause additional loss of revenue is appalling.”

DDP Board President and Parking Committee Chairman Todd Stonesifer and his wife, Kristin, said they have also made a full investment in downtown Dover, where they own their home and commercial properties, including The Moving Experience and The House of Coffi.

Mr. Stonesifer has concerns over the finite number of parking spaces versus the increased demand on those limited spaces, as more and more businesses have decided to locate downtown. He suggested bringing parking meters back to the area.

“People want to be able to find a spot to park, or they will get frustrated and drive off,” Mr. Stonesifer said. “Data shows that meters create turnover and ease of enforcement, which brings convenience for customers and greater sales for the local merchants.”

Mr. Stonesifer and the DDP have their sights set on restructuring downtown parking, which they hope will eventually include meters, 60-minute free parking and electric car-charging stations, as well as quick turnround spaces for those who might be just picking up a few items or getting a cup of coffee.

Ms. Welch’s letter shows that she feels now is not the time to charge for parking, not in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic that has already ravaged small businesses downtown.

“Local customers are incredibly supportive but adding a cost (with no value added) for them to show support for small business is bad business,” her email stated. “As down(town) merchants we have already made good progress towards revitalization and while we still have a way to go this could set us back a decade.”

Many responses to her petition showed that she does have support for keeping paid parking out of downtown Dover.

“This will further deter people from coming downtown,” Rebecca Lovin wrote. “Existing/growing crime, minimal current business/eatery options and empty stores … there’s no revenue to be had here. Lower the rent, get more businesses in there and make it flourish. … Add lighted parking. … People will come. There are ways to improve this, this isn’t it.”

Robert Bell agreed and said that parking meters downtown is the last thing that Dover needs.

“With the economic downturn Downtown Dover is already experiencing, this is a completely useless undertaking, and is highly likely to further depress our local businesses,” Mr. Bell wrote. “Efforts should be made to make parking more accessible not less. Such as shifting EZPass workers to off-downtown parking and free up what space already exists.”

Ms. Welch pointed out that Colonial Parking, a Wilmington-based company that has been retained by the DDP to manage downtown Dover’s parking, has suggested a $1 hourly fee, capped at $5 per day.

She said her 35 employees would have to pay $5 per day to work downtown and that the area’s tenants would have to pay an additional $35 a week (provided fees are every day), which adds up to $1,800 annually to live downtown.

Ms. Welch added that Colonial Parking suggested the employers pick up the tab for employees. She said that of her 35 employees, with approximately 12 of them working each day, that turns out to be $60 a day.

“Meters could be the catalyst for people choosing to go elsewhere,” Ms. Welch wrote. “Meters will not enhance any experience downtown, nor will it solve any actual problems. The real problem is that metered or not, people simply will not park in the outlying areas because they feel unsafe doing so.

“My bartenders and servers leave at late hours and will not park in the Bradford (Street) lot or anywhere else they feel unsafe leaving with cash tips in their pockets.”

Ms. Welch said informal customer polls taken by her and Puffster store owner Sam Chick show an overwhelming vote of “no” when it comes to charging for parking downtown.

She suggests that the city of Dover address crime, lighting and safety in the parking lots that go unused now.

“We agree that downtown Dover will benefit from a reassessment of parking availability and new parking access is needed,” she wrote. “We do not support parking meters as the first and only answer to this complex question.

“Parking must be safe. Parking must be accessible and centrally located. Currently, parking is poorly marked and spread out over multiple small and minimally used lots. We further suggest that this be a city council addressed issue since it impacts economic viability, traffic, tourists, merchants, and residents of the entire city, not just downtown.”

The other side of the issue

Diane Laird, executive director of the DDP, said its Parking Committee has been meeting for several months to study these issues in downtown Dover and finally agreed to hire Colonial Parking to eventually bring meters to Dover.

The partnership is currently developing a formal plan that it hopes will be finished in June. It would then need final approval from the city.

Colonial Parking is supposed to give its proposal to the Downtown Dover Partnership at a public meeting April 21.

Dover City Councilman Fred Neil said he believes the DDP did its due diligence in reaching out to business owners and the community for their input.

“Parking in the heart of a colonial city is a nightmare, and part of the problem,” said Councilman Neil, who is also a member of the DDP’s board of directors. “The council has expanded police force and police training. We have committed a big chunk of money for an LED lighting system for the city, starting in downtown, and bought a new street sweeper unit to help for our streets.

“What we can’t do, we have permitted the DDP to do for themselves. We have authorized the DDP to resolve their parking by paying for parking studies, plus their bid process when a parking garage was financially unfeasible. I have watched as the DDP reached out to their merchants and the public with surveys regarding the metered plan selected.”

Mr. Neil added, “The Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce has included those surveys in their email news letters. I know the process is ongoing. No one is being shut out of the process. It is open and transparent. I am certain DDP will share the research for how smart parking meters have benefited businesses. Its works to clear out parkers who stay all day blocking shoppers. I also recognize that any change provides fear.

“What happens with parking downtown is in the hands of DDP, who are business owners who are working to make downtown a better shopping experience. They have reached out to merchants who have fears and I hope they will work out their differences.”

Over the past several months, the DDP/Colonial team heard from a variety of stakeholders about their thoughts regarding parking downtown and launched a survey in March. The survey, filled out by 123 respondents, asked about parking behaviors and conditions and ideas for future improvements.

The survey found that 58% of people indicated a modest parking fee either will not affect their visits or they are not sure.

The top three improvements suggested for downtown parking were better pedestrian paths between parking and destinations; more off-street surface parking lots and an off-street parking structure; and easier, tech-friendly ways to pay (via an app, for instance).

Twenty-three percent of people indicated that safety concerns are the largest parking challenge, while 21% of people pointed to signage and information as problems. The third-most cited parking challenge in the survey was that there is not enough spaces.

Panhandling was most often cited as a safety concern, followed by people nearby. Poor lighting was the third-most frequent safety worry.

Many people (59%) strongly recommended that downtown Dover obtain a better system of parking management.

The survey also found that 74% of respondents come to the downtown Dover business district to shop, dine or attend events.

As a result of the committee’s research, consideration was given to the concept of a Parking Benefit District, according to Ms. Laird. Members were intrigued by the way Pasadena, California, was able to turn around its parking woes by developing a PBD, described as an area, typically along commercial corridors or larger residential neighborhoods, in which revenue generated from on-street parking within the district is returned directly to the neighborhood to finance improvements. The idea has been hailed by some as “using small change to create big changes.”

The PBD solution not only helps to address growing parking needs, but revenue generated from parking, even modest or nominal fees, can be used to fund projects that will benefit merchants, residents and property owners.

Ms. Laird said that in other cities and towns the DDP has studied, PBD funds have been used to address safety, landscaping, lighting and beautification, which has resulted in attracting more visitors and increased property values. A portion of the revenue can also be escrowed to defray the cost of future parking needs.

Ms. Laird said PBDs have been found to be very successful in communities in Pittsburgh and Austin, Texas. While those areas are notably larger than Dover, the concept was chosen for Delaware’s capital city.

She said it might even result in a new best practice for smaller, more traditional historic downtowns.

“Dover will grow in the next several years,” Ms. Laird said. “Vacant buildings in the downtown are being leased, new businesses are opening, investors continue to inquire, and people are expressing a desire to return to the downtown area.”