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Several downtown parking changes in the works for city
A number of parking changes are in progress for downtown Greencastle, the City Council learned at its recent January meeting.
The parking issue arose after Councilman Dave Murray asked City Attorney Laurie Hardwick if she could bring an amended parking ordinance to the February meeting for the Council’s scrutiny.
That amended ordinance would include, as Murray has previously suggested, removing one or two spaces along the north side of Washington Street in front of the current Old National Bank location at the Indiana Street end of the block.
The city is also considering closing the alley entrance in the middle of the block to regain one space, Mayor Bill Dory told the Banner Graphic.
“We’ve already had one person get hit trying to make their way across Washington Street between ONB and Starbucks,” Murray pointed out, “and people sit there (westbound at the stoplight) and wait and wait for somebody to turn left, and then the light changes and trucks are going through there.”
Removing a couple of parking spaces along the north side of the street would allow traffic to flow past the left-turn artists.
Mayor Dory interjected that he has a couple more changes in mind to add that amended ordinance.
“At the corner of Walnut and Vine,” he said, “the handicapped space is right at the corner and the Fire Department would like to pull that back a little bit and give themselves a little more turning radius.
“The other thing we talked about,” the mayor continued, “was flipping the parking (on Walnut Street) in the block between Indiana and Jackson from the north side of the street to the south side of the street. We can get twice as many spaces along there and add three of four more to the downtown inventory.”
Meanwhile, City Attorney Hardwick said that a request has been made to consider a change at the Vine Street end of Washington Street where cars parked to the curb on the south side of Washington make for visibility issues for drivers turning out of Vine Street.
“There’s a visibility issue at the corner where Books Plus used to be,” she said of the building owned by Lester and Judy Wilson.
Councilman Murray readily agreed.
“If there’s cars all along that side, including that last space,” Murray said, “and you’re trying to come from Mark Hammer’s office (on Vine Street) to turn left onto Washington Street, it is really hard to see, so I think that’s a great idea.”
Mayor Dory noted that he had received several complaints about that intersection when a large van was regularly parked along Washington Street.
In short, these are the parking changes being considered downtown:
• Washington Street, along Old National Bank – Remove one or two spaces at the Indiana Street end of the block. Possibly close the alley entrance to regain one space.
• Washington Street, from Indiana to Vine south side – Possibly remove one space at the Vine Street end of the block for better sight distance.
• Walnut Street, from Indiana to Vine north side – Remove one regular parking space at the west end of the block, slide the handicapped space one block east. This is to provide better turning radius for fire trucks.
• Walnut Street, from Indiana to Jackson – Move parking from the north side of the street to the south side. This would add 3-5 spaces of on-street parking on Walnut, west of Indiana. Would still allow for a loading zone on the north side of the street.
Previously, the city moved the two reserved fire department spaces from Indiana to Poplar to open up the two spaces along BreadWorks, the mayor noted. The city also added the two 10-minute pick-up spaces on the north and east sides of the square.
All the changes are under final review, Mayor Dory said.
If the ordinance does come before the City Council at its Feb. 12 meeting (7 p.m., City Hall), it could be passed on first reading then and adopted on second and final reading at the March Council session.
In another parking-related matter, Councilman Murray asked about the status of the parking lot proposed for the northeast corner of Indiana and Columbia streets, a site the city acquired from Perry Wainman after he purchased it and razed a dilapidated house.
The mayor said architects are finishing up plans for the site and city officials have had some conversations with the adjacent property owner to see if there was interest in a joint venture.
The situation will be resolved, “hopefully soon,” Mayor Dory added.