Exeter’s parking meter debate: Why some are for and some are against

EXETER — Several business owners along Water Street said they would like to see paid parking implemented in the future, although it might receive pushback from residents.

Keith Lemarise, who runs Water Street Marketplace, said the current two-hour parking limit downtown is not enforced, and all-day parkers are hurting his and other businesses by reducing parking availability.

“You’ve got people that are just parking there all day,” Lemarise said, which is “unfortunate” for other shoppers.

Lemarise’s comment was in response to the recently concluded town study on traffic, parking and pedestrian flow in downtown Exeter.

The study found that Exeter has plenty of parking in the downtown area to meet demand, but current spaces are not utilized to their fullest potential.

“This town has more parking than it needs,” said Select Board member Dan Chartrand, who also owns Water Street Bookstore in downtown Exeter. “We just have to get organized and utilize it correctly.”

The study highlighted several recommendations to improve parking, including having the town work with property owners to open private parking lots for public use and introduce parking ambassadors to work downtown as a resource for visitors with parking questions.

It also included a recommendation to reintroduce paid parking along Water Street for the 300-plus unregulated spaces.

Exeter had paid parking downtown between 1949 and 1973. The then-Select Board decided to remove the meters due to disrepair and after receiving a request from the Exeter Chamber to do away with them to allow local businesses to compete against large shopping malls.

According to the recent study, representatives from the engineering firm Stantec believe meters will not only generate revenue for the town but help with the “wall of cars” currently seen on Water Street.

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Paid parking would increase turnover rates

Lemarise and his wife, Kathy, who owns Trends Gift Gallery at 85 Water Street, said paid parking will increase turnover rates, which will be a big boost to their businesses.

“We need parking spaces in front of our store,” he said. “The turnover of the cars is going to be very beneficial to all the stores… It’s going to turn probably every two hours, and that person is probably going to be a paying customer.”

Lemarise said paid parking will not hinder residents from shopping locally. He noted many downtowns, including Portsmouth and Dover, already have paid parking.

“The funny thing is everybody will go anywhere else, and they’ll be fine paying for parking,” he joked. “Fortunately, or unfortunately, we all got a little spoiled here in Exeter because there’s always been free parking.”

Lemarise said that paid parking will also help collect revenue for the town for future improvements.

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Some business owners fear residents do not want to pay to park

Samantha Brown, owner of La Cascade du Chocolat at 109 Water Street, said one of the many reasons customers shop downtown is because of the “advantage” of free parking.

“I feel like people don’t feel as rushed,” she said, referring to free parking. “There’s a little more leisure time to walk around, spend a little more time, and hopefully a little more money at the downtown businesses.”

Brown said paid parking has pros and cons, and although many businesses downtown might support it, residents might be reluctant.

“Studies say pay-to-park actually increases foot traffic because people have limited amount of time,” she added. “ …I don’t know if Exeter, the people that live here, if they would be open about that.”

Cara Brittingham, owner of Puddlejumpers at 31 Water Street, agreed.

“People hate change,” she noted. “We’re not a bigger city, we’re not Boston, we’re not Portsmouth… we’re such a small town and a small downtown… I feel like it will get quite a bit of pushback, but I’m for it.”

Tim O’Brien, head chef and owner of Il Cornicello at 11 Water Street, said paid parking might affect local businesses more than restaurants.

“I think retail shops can be a little more spur of the moment… I think if you have to get out, pay a meter for what amounts to just a five-minute check-in at a shop people might pass that over,” he said. “Whereas dinner, it’s something that you’ve mostly made reservations for, and you’re set for the night out… you’ve already made up your mind in that sense.”

However, O’Brien said his “biggest concern” with paid parking is having to do with his employees.

“Everyday cars parked in front of my restaurant that don't move all day, mostly I know that they’re employees… but I understand from the retail side as well (in wanting more turnovers),” he said. “… restaurants have started to define Exeter… there’s a lot of restaurants in town, and that means a lot of employees in town, and parking is that thin.”

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Select Board says no decisions made on paid parking

Select Board Chair Niko Papakinstantis said none of the larger initiatives outlined in the study, including paid parking, will move forward without public input. He said the board is still reviewing all recommendations from the study with town officials before putting together an action plan.

“The expectation would be that the public input would be from our businesses that would be affected, from the public who frequents downtown and for the residents that live in the surrounding areas,” he added.

Other major recommendations in the study include converting the existing angled parking along Water Street into parallel parking and reconfiguring the traffic around the more than century-old bandstand, the town's busiest intersection, from a three-way to a four-way stop.

The bandstand plan calls for the elimination of the road closer to the historic town hall and turns the current one-way, two-lane road that’s close to the town office into a two-way road. Another stop sign will also be added for vehicles traveling westbound on Water Street, creating a four-way stop intersection.

The space between the town hall and current on-street parking on Front Street would be converted into a green space stretching beyond the bandstand.

Town Planner Dave Sharples said the town is still reviewing the 100-plus page report and no plan of action has been taken just yet. He said there is still concerns over some of the proposed improvements including the switch to parallel parking.

“There’s pros and cons to both,” said Sharples, referring to the proposed conversion. “One of the pros I see is now you have parallel parking all along the Squamscott block (located along the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce and Soleil’s Salt Cave) … you don’t have that now, there’s a section there and a lot of people cross there… On the flip side, parallel parking is difficult. When you're going forward, you see a spot and you stop, you’re going to back up traffic. Whereas angle parking you see it and you go in.”

Selectman Dan Chartrand said the town will probably act on “low-hanging fruit” in the study first.

Chartrand was referring to four suggestions that are attainable within the short term, which include sharing private parking supply, creating short-term loading spaces on each block, improving parking maps and introducing parking ambassadors.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter study recommends paid parking in downtown, sparks debate