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Date: 7/13/2021
EASTHAMPTON – The city of Easthampton recently announced the availability of 25 free public parking spaces for the summer at Maple Street School.
Crews from the Department of Public Works spruced up the pavement and re-painted the parking spaces at the school so people can see them. The spaces, which will be available until the fall, are being utilized as a low-cost effort to support businesses within the Cottage Street Cultural District recovering from the pandemic.
According to Easthampton City Planner Jeff Bagg, the additional free parking spaces are a part of the city’s grander Downtown Strategic Plan that started in 2019 and ended in 2020. The Strategic Plan is currently “providing strategies to enhance economic development opportunities in the downtown and strengthen the Cottage Street and Union Street corridor as a commercial center and a creative heart of the community.” The parking spaces were considered an action item in the plan.
“We were coming up with the plan to make it happen, and the owner of Nini’s really mobilized and really pushed us over the finish line,” said Bagg, regarding the newly added free parking.
According to Bagg, Cottage Street normally gets busy, especially during Thursday, Friday, and Saturday afternoon and evenings. Having the additional 25 parking spaces relieves a lot of the pressure during those times when parking is at a high demand.
“We’re trying to be responsive to COVID and support people coming back out to Easthampton,” said Bagg. “So parking is a big deal if people can’t find parking easily.”
Many people who visit Easthampton will try to find parking closest to where they are going to go, according to Bagg, so Easthampton tried using banners in 2020 to direct people into the lot at 50 Payson, Ave. when lots on Cottage Street were getting full.
“Maple Street [parking] will serve those businesses on the top of Cottage Street,” said Bagg, who added that places like Nini’s Ristorante, Corsello Butcheria, and Luthier’s Coop would benefit most from these additional spaces. “Whereas, if you’re going to go to Daily Operation, then you can park at 50 Payson and it’s pretty close…so we kind of have it on each end of Cottage Street.” There is also free parking in the middle of Cottage Street, as well.
Another action item that the city will investigate for this summer and fall is additional on-street parking. According to Bagg, there are a few side streets that people park on now when other parking areas get full, but those streets are not marked with spaces. Because of this, the city wants to make those spaces on side streets more accessible and easier to see. “I think that’s one of the low-cost things we can do is paint the spaces on the road where people are already parking,” said Bagg.
There are some spots on Union Street, Chapman Avenue and School Street that could also be painted so people are visiting outside of Easthampton can know where to go when they need to park.
“On a busier night, that’s where cars are parking,” said Bagg. “They’re just going to those side streets and they’re parking there.”
Easthampton is also starting to develop shared parking methods, specifically involving the Old Town Hall. Since the Old Town Hall is about to be renovated into a 350-seat venue, Bagg said that the city may want to allow parking for the venue at Easthampton Savings Bank since the bank has 100-plus parking spaces. The bank is usually closed at 5 p.m. and most concerts and performances are conducted after that time.
There are also some churches on Main Street that often have empty parking lots, so Easthampton may look into shared parking with restaurants in that area, as well. “Those the next steps we’ll take with low-cost parking,” said Bagg.
The city also installed four LED lights at the rear of City Hall with the hopes of making the 95 public spaces in Easthampton more accessible and easier to see at night. Along with these lights, the city also hopes to develop their three elementary schools within the next three years to incorporate public parking, housing and a small playground.
“Those are the highest priorities we saw come out in the Downtown Plan,” said Bagg, regarding those three future ideas.
Bagg added that painting lines and adding easy-to-read signs will most likely occur within the next year as businesses become busier after COVID-19.
For those looking to learn more about Easthampton’s Downtown Strategic Plan, they can visit https://plandowntown-easthampton.com.