When a new business files a site plan with the Liverpool planning board, they’re required to show that they have enough parking spaces to accommodate their staff and customers.
The Liverpool Village Board of Trustees is mulling a change to the village code which will allow applicants to count parking spaces in adjacent municipal parking areas in addition to on-street parking spaces and whatever spaces they have on their own site.
The trustees will conduct a public hearing on the proposed Local Law C at 7 p.m. June 16, at the Village Hall.
If the local law is approved, site plan applicants could count up to 50 percent of their required parking located in on-street and/or municipal parking spaces that are within 500 feet of the site or within the same block.
“What we’re doing is adjusting the village code to include any other municipal parking that might be available,” said Liverpool Mayor Gary White. “For example if the village turned property it owns into a municipal parking lot or if Onondaga County allowed us to use their lots, you could count those.”
The latter scenario is actually what the trustees have in mind. Recent development of basin block properties such as the Limp Lizard Barbecue, White Water Pub and Barking Gull restaurants as well as a major mixed-used development proposed by JGB Properties prompted the trustees to consider changing the parking requirement.
“We have some first-class development going on now on the basin block, particularly along Lower First Street and South Willow Street,” White said, “we’ve been trying to figure out a way to help all our applicants.”
The mayor hopes the county will allow patrons of basin block businesses to utilize Onondaga County Parks’ parking lots at Griffin Visitor Center and the Salt Museum. “It would not be for overnight parking, not a place to store vehicles,” White said, “but it would be strictly for overflow parking during off hours when the county’s not normally using it.”
The mayor has approached county officials and Fourth District County Legislator Judy Tassone about the arrangement. “We’ve been in talks for about three months on this,” White said, “and we hope that the legislature will vote in favor of it at its June meeting. Judy has been working with us right along.”
Tassone predicted that, at its June 3 session, the legislature will approve the proposal to enter into an inter-municipal agreement with the village about the parking arrangement. “Everyone including Parks Commissioner Bill Lansley is in favor of the idea,” she said. “It will pass easily.”
