Downtown Oxford lost 15 parking spaces Monday when a privately-owned section of the northwest quadrant was closed off.
The lot’s owner, local developer Charles Schneider, closed his property off to free public use following the Oxford Village Council’s rejection of a lease agreement it originally proposed.
The property in question is located between Sister’s Hair Care and the Healthy Smile Center. Schneider plans to eventually build on the site, but no specifics are available yet.
At its April 27 meeting, council voted 5-0 to deny the proposed lease and ‘ask that if the business owners in that quadrant would like to keep that (lot) to come to the village council with a plan as to how to finance that.?
An April 29 letter to the northwest quadrant business owners from Building, Zoning and Planning Administrator John Elsarelli advised them to ‘attend the next meeting of the village council, May, 11, 2004, and be prepared with a financial plan.?
Under the rejected five-year lease agreement, the village would have assumed the insurance liability and maintenance of the lot, exempted it from property taxes and paid a rent of $1,000 per month. The village previously paid Schneider $1,000 for April’s rent.
Council’s rejection of the lease it proposed was motivated by the Oxford Community Development Authority’s April 6 refusal to split the lease cost.
Council originally voted March 23 to accept the lease agreement with ‘all costs? to be ‘split 50/50 with the OCDA, contingent upon approval and acceptance by the OCDA.?
‘By motion, the OCDA Board of Directors has chosen to decline participation in the proposed lease between Mr. Chuck Schneider and the Village of Oxford,? wrote OCDA Executive Director Michelle Bishop in an April 7 memo to council. ‘There was general consensus of the OCDA Board of Directors that the Village of Oxford’s acceptance of Liability Insurance, tax exemption and maintenance/upkeep of said property would be acceptable, while proposed additional monies, spent for a temporary fix, would be better utilized towards a long-term solution for the parking issue in the (northwest) Quadrant.?
In light of the OCDA’s rejection, village officials were unwilling to assume the entire financial burden of the lease, which would have amounted to $12,000.
‘We were willing to partner with the OCDA on a 50/50 basis on this, but the OCDA felt it wasn’t important enough to spend the money for that,? said Councilman Steve Allen. ‘The only message that we can glean, as a council, from the OCDA’s action is that it is an important piece of property, but not important enough to spend money on. And I would have to echo those sentiments myself.?
Allen said the ‘potential of losing? $40,000 in state revenue-sharing next year combined with a ?$12,000 additional incumbrance,? referring to the proposed lease’s annual cost, would leave the village ?$52,000 upside down? as it starts the 2004-05 budget process.
‘I don’t think that’s a great way to start the budgeting process,? the councilman said.
Village President Renee Donovan said, ‘I believe the village is totally dedicated to offering free public parking and it is a definite asset to our business people,?
However, ‘there comes a time though where the business people have to step in and help take charge? and ‘look for other ways to bring the parking about,? she said.
‘It can’t fall just on the backs of the taxpayers,? Donovan said. ‘Even though originally we had agreed (to accept the lease), the more I thought about it, I think that maybe we need to look at everything kind of on an equal basis.?
‘I also truly believe this is not something we can squeeze that little bit extra out (of the budget),? the president added.
Schneider, who wanted it stressed that the lease was entirely council’s idea, said village officials rejection of the proposed agreement indicated ‘inconsistency in their direction,? citing how council originally thought it was a ‘good idea,? but the OCDA ‘didn’t think so.?
Schneider said the village has ‘done a disservice to the people (business owners) in that quadrant? by leaving them ‘high and dry.?
The developer noted the OCDA can look at spending approximately $1.2 million for expand and improve the southeast parking quadrant, yet it’s ‘ignoring? the needs of the northwest quadrant.
‘The people in that quadrant are not getting their fair share? for the taxes they pay, Schneider said.
He said the northwest quadrant businesses are at a ‘disadvantage? if they can’t offer adequate parking.
According to the 2002 Oxford Parking and Circulation Plan for the downtown, ‘The parking lot in the northwest quadrant has the least amount of existing parking (of all four quadrants) . . . Improvements to this lot are a high priority.?
With the loss of Schneider’s 15 spaces, the northwest quadrant is now left with 51 lot spaces plus 11 street spaces (located on N. Washington St.) to serve the quadrant’s businesses. According to the parking and circulation plan, a minimum of 129 spaces is required to adequately serve the quadrant, meaning it currently has a ‘parking deficit? of 67 spaces.
A Parking Task Force was formed by the village in February to find a long-term solution to the northwest quadrant’s parking shortage. The acquisition of adjacent properties to expand the quadrant and increase parking is being looked into.
At a March 23 special meeting, council voted to authorize village attorney Bob Bunting to begin the process for property acquisition in the northwest quadrant.
At the request of Allen during the April 27 meeting, it was the consensus of council to expand the Task Force’s focus to include all the downtown quadrants, not just one, ‘to look at the big picture.?