Today I’m admitting I got the Ellicott City parking thing wrong.
In previous posts and in my Business Monthly column I have strongly advocated for a new parking deck in what is now Public Parking Lot D behind the old Post Office on Main Street. I was not alone in this thinking. The Ellicott City Master Plan, published in 2003, reached the same conclusion. While I still believe more parking is critical to maintaining a healthy business environment in the historic district, I no longer believe a deck in Lot D is a good idea.
I credit the merchants who have put together the Second Sunday Market for altering my view. They have shown that this open space in the center of town can be much more than just a surface parking lot. In a town defined by tight spaces dictated by the natural features of rivers and ravines, this central open flat space offers a welcome respite.I have come to the conclusion that a parking deck in this area would destroy that. I was wrong. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
