Downtown Oxford has a parking problem ? the fact that officials place too much emphasis on it and have based what’s actually needed on a flawed study.
That was one of Nicholas Kalogeresis? main messages to the Oxford Community Development Authority (OCDA) as he presented the preliminary findings of a needs assessment performed April 12-13.
Kalogeresis, a program associate for the National Main Street Center, was part of a four-person ‘needs assessment team? that visited downtown Oxford as part of its acceptance into the Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) program in September 2004.
MSOC is an economic development program specifically targeted to provide technical assistance to the 30 traditional downtowns in the county with the goal of revitalizing them.
The county program is partnered with the National Main Street Center (a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation) which has successfully helped revitalize more than 2,000 downtowns in 40 states since 1980. It’s done so by utilizing its trademarked ‘Four Point Approach? ? Organization, Promotion, Design and Economic Restructuring.
‘I’m tired of hearing about parking,? Kalogeresis told the OCDA. ‘You’re not going to solve your downtown issues by solving your parking issues.?
‘Do you ever say I go to downtown Birmingham because I love the parking? You never say that. You go there because there are stores, there are theaters, there are things to do. That’s what’s going to draw people to your downtown ? what you have in it, not how much parking you have.?
‘Parking is part of the equation,? Kalogeresis said. ‘We have to be concerned about it. But it seems like its driving everything you’re doing as a DDA and it shouldn’t be . . . Parking is one thing you have to look at. It’s not the end-all of everything.?
With that said Kalogeresis told officials their 2002 parking plan/study is ‘seriously flawed? and used the ‘wrong methodology.?
‘The consultant that did this report ? I think you got gypped,? he said. ‘It’s projected you need way too much parking than what you really need in your downtown.?
The firm which performed the parking study used ‘standards more appropriate for shopping malls, not for downtown districts.?
‘You actually don’t need as much parking in a downtown as you need in a shopping mall or strip mall,? he said.
Kalogeresis said the ‘chief thing wrong? with the study is it ‘doesn’t analyze the existing parking supply and how it’s used.?
‘You need to figure out how it’s currently being used before you can really say you have a parking shortage or surplus,? he said.
Kalogeresis told officials they need to have the parking management study redone by a parking consultant familiar with smaller downtowns. He approximated the cost to be between $5,000 and $10,000.
However, based on the needs assessment team’s brief visit, Kalogeresis was able to tell officials they need more on-street parking along M-24, which serves as a ‘buffer? between traffic and pedestrians.
‘No wonder why merchants complain there’s no parking,? Kalogeresis said. ‘They don’t have it in front of their stores.?
Kalogeresis said he also noticed a couple of dumpsters taking up parking spaces in downtown lots and making themselves the first thing visitors see. He said they need to be enclosed better and placed in the right spots so they’re not greeting visitors.
Bigger than parking issues are the downtown’s ‘transportation issues? according to Kalogeresis. He said it’s a big problem that people use their cars to cross the street rather than walk because they’re either not comfortable or afraid to for safety reasons.
‘You want to promote pedestrian traffic in your downtown,? he said. ‘If you solve some of the transportation issues that will alleviate some of this parking concern you have.?
Kalogeresis said he realizes it’s not easy working with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to solve traffic issues concerning M-24.
‘You have to really lobby them over a period of years to try to get some additional stop lights put in and enact some traffic calming measures in your downtown,? he said. ‘You’re not alone. You have other communities in Oakland County that face the same issues. You can band together as communities and work with Main Street Oakland County to try to convince MDOT to do the right things in your downtown.?
On the positive side, Kalogeresis noted downtown Oxford has a ‘fantastic? core of ‘in tact? historic buildings that are a real ‘asset? to the community, but which ‘no one talks about.?
‘That’s what makes your downtown unique is that core of (historic) buildings,? said Kalogeresis, noting downtown Oxford is probably eligible for the National Registry of Historic Places, something officials should look into. Getting on the National Registry can save local property owners four to six months in the process of qualifying for tax incentives plus it adds a ‘marketing edge to your downtown.?
Kalogeresis noted downtown Oxford also has a ‘decent base of businesses to start (the Main Street program) with.?
The OCDA must conduct a ‘retail marketing analysis? to understand the ‘strengths and weaknesses of the (local) retail market,? then it can begin the process of recruiting and retaining businesses, he said.
‘That’s a definite need,? Kalogeresis said.
Main Street representatives will return to Oxford in June or July to help the OCDA develop priorities and goals and its committees develop ‘work plans? to accomplish them.
‘I’ve noticed a lot of Helter Skelter-ness,? Kalogeresis said. ‘A lot of schizophrenia. Some committees are doing this. Some are doing that. The (OCDA) board really doesn’t know what’s going on.?