As the great writer Mark Twain once said, “The rumors of there being a parking problem in downtown Canby have been greatly exaggerated.”
There is no parking problem as things currently stand, and the City Council heard that clear message last week from the folks who should know: downtown Canby business owners and employees.
The supposed lack of parking downtown is a complaint that crops up from time to time on social media. And the city had proposed a resolution that would basically keep the downtown parking time limits the way that they already are, but with clearer and more comprehensive signage, random enforcement, and educational outreach to the community.
The city says they had received some complaints from a few business owners that led to this proposed strategy, but based on last week’s testimony, it would appear that these issues are limited to a few small sections of the downtown core, and not indicative of any widespread problem.
Brian Haines, Canby Music Store owner, says he’s never noticed a problem in his neck of the woods.
Several business owners expressed concerns for their employees. Obviously, they want to ensure there are spaces for their customers, but why force their employees to park blocks away, especially in the cold and rainy winter months, when there is plenty of room for both?
Here’s Daniel Stearns, of North Willamette Tax Services.
Although there may not be a parking problem right now, pretty much everyone agreed that it’s something that should stay on the city’s front burner, especially as the Dahlia building and other empty downtown storefronts fill up. Ultimately, the total number of spaces will be geographically constrained, but the precise mix might also need to be adjusted, in terms of the amount of 20-minute, 2-hour, 3-hour and all-day parking.
One thing that is for sure, City Administrator Rick Robinson, who retires at the end of October, thinks the matter can wait.