It seems no matter where you go, every city has the same
problem
– parking.
It seems no matter where you go, every city has the same problem – parking.
Even quiet, little Hollister has its share of parking problems and controversy surrounding it. The City Council tried to extend the current two-hour parking limit downtown to four hours earlier this month. It was an effort to make a visit to the stores and restaurants on the San Benito strip a little more accessible, care-free and welcoming for Hollisterites, tourists and those making the trip from Gilroy and San Juan Bautista who patronize local business.
However, as with most things government, simply changing the parking policy wouldn’t do. Apparently, some retailers like the shorter time limits and others prefer the longer ones. It seems as though businesses oriented to customer service wanted more parking time for their patrons, retail-type businesses wanted more turnover in the lots, and still others wanted more time for their employees to park their vehicles while working. It’s the typical quagmire for public servants to sort out – how do you make everyone happy?
So the City Council reversed its ruling, two weeks after making it, and wants to wait for the Hollister Downtown Association to poll local business interests and find out what the owners want.
Really, we should be focusing on what the customer wants and what will make downtown shopping excursions amiable for our blossoming community. Let’s not forget the motive for change was the desire to draw consumers to the downtown area instead of sending local shoppers down the road to other communities.
The real problem with the parking debate, which will no doubt rage in council meetings and boil the blood of business owners, is it omits the one group it should include – the people of Hollister shopping downtown.
The range of businesses calling downtown home varies from restaurants to banks, clothing stores to Internet companies, and it’s a pipe dream to believe there will ever be consensus that suits the different needs of such unique businesses. Some businesses need more employee parking than customer spaces while others need just the opposite.
Why not poll the residents of Hollister about what they need? Ask them how long to let people park in city lots and do it through a shop local campaign. The city could ask for input from local citizens while encouraging them to spend their dollars at home. The outcome of such a poll will undoubtedly rankle some, but at least the council will know they kept their constituency in mind and made their best attempt to improve the businesses’ environment while doing so.
When it comes down to it, the actual parking time limit matters little to us. What does matter is creating a balanced downtown environment where the people feel welcome to shop without risking a ticket and business is allowed to prosper. If the city wants a poll to help make a decision, asking business is a good place to start, but the polling shouldn’t stop until the people have spoken too.
To respond to this editorial or comment on this issue, please send or bring letters to Editor, Hollister Free Lance, 350 Sixth St., Hollister, Calif. 95023 or fax to 637-4104 or e-mail [email protected]
