FOR MORE INFO CALL
301 766 4189
Residents, Businesses and Visitors to Have Say in Parking Plan
1/17/2012
In developing a Parking Master Plan, the City of Hagerstown is reaching out to those who live, work and visit in the Hub City. People in the community can weigh in on the plan by completing a short on-line survey that will be available for the rest of the month.
The City has hired Rich & Associates, Inc., a parking consultant and planning company from Southfield, Michigan to oversee the plan. Representatives from the company are meeting with key shareholders in the City Center to address their needs, but they’re also looking to reach individuals in the community to make sure everyone’s concerns are taken into consideration.
The City of Hagerstown has over 2,000 parking spaces on the street, in parking lots and parking decks, and most of them are available in the City Center. Eric Deike, Manager of Public Works, says, “Parking is a critical element of economic development that needs to be managed properly. The study is to aid the City in managing its resources for the present and, more importantly, the future.”
Rich & Associates, Inc. is working with the City of Hagerstown to develop a plan that ensures adequate and viable parking resources for years to come while maximizing the public’s use and benefit from the current parking system. “The goal is to provide the City with a road map of parking for the future,” Deike adds. “What new facilities, technology or rates do we need to plan for? What can be the expected costs? Where do we go from here?”
The survey can be found online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HagerstownParkingSurvey. Initially, the respondent will be prompted to select the most appropriate category (i.e. downtown employee, downtown business owner, visitor, etc.) and will then be directed to the proper survey. The City would like to have maximum participation to ensure as many voices as possible are heard.
For those who do not have internet access, hard copies of the survey will be available at City Hall. The questionnaire will be on-line until January 31st.
