I was having lunch with a senior county official last week
when the topic of the new Ellicott City parking system came up.
“Some of the merchants are getting a little ugly about this,”
I said referring to the group opposing the plan, which appears to be spearheaded by the owners of the
Still Life Gallery. The issue has divided the town and created ill feelings up
and down Main Street .
Someone even hacked into a reader board changing the message to read “Ken Ulman
Hates Ellicott City.”
“It’s this type of thing that discourages the county from
trying to anything,” my lunch guest responded adding “we’re dammed if we do and dammed if
we don’t.”
This morning I spoke with another Ellicott City merchant who
has been instrumental in breathing new life in the historic district with First Fridays, Second Sundays and other events. This particular merchant was concerned that the
increasing vitriol might undo the goodwill that the Ellicott City Business
Association (ECBA) has built up with the county over the past few years.
And it’s all over parking!
It is as if some people believe that free parking on a public road, in front
of a store or residence, is a god given right, enshrined in the Constitution.
Though I don’t own a store or live in the historic district,
I do live close by, about a mile and half from Main Street . As such, we are fairly regular patrons of the stores and restaurants in Ellicott
City . In fact, proximity to Main Street was one of the reasons we
chose our home. Unfortunately, we do not enjoy pedestrian friendly access
to the town which means that almost all of our visits are by car. This makes us
acutely aware of the parking situation. We've always managed to find a parking spot, even during the busy times like Midnight Madness, but doing so usually involves a
series of u-turns and something akin to a treasure hunt. Count us among those
who applaud the fact the county is finally doing something to address this problem. I
don’t know if it will work but from what I've read about it so far, it appears to
be a good start.
Actually, I’d prefer to see a plan that eliminates parking
along Main Street
all together. That would allow for wider sidewalks and open up opportunities
for outdoor seating at restaurants and performance spaces. I understand that
the county has studied this idea as well as a way to help control runoff with
rain gardens.
Judging from the reaction to this current plan, that
probably doesn't stand much of chance of happening any time soon.
