Will the two temporary gravel parking areas in downtown Oxford closed off by the village last week be open by the weekend?
That’s the question on many people’s minds right now, particularly downtown merchants and village officials.
‘I was kind of upset. This couldn’t have come at a worse time,? said Diana Griggs, owner of Aunt Nan’s Fabrics and a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) board member.
A special village council meeting to discuss the closed lots in downtown’s southeast and northwest quadrants has been scheduled for 2 p.m. June 21.
On June 13, village DPW workers used orange barrels connected by yellow roping to cordon off the two temporary gravel parking lots.
Owned by the DDA, the southeast gravel lot, at the corner of Mill and Stanton streets, was created in 2003 while the northwest gravel lot was constructed just last year. Plans are to pave both temporary parking areas.
Manager Joe Young received unanimous direction from the village council June 12 to close off the gravel lots until either construction of permanent paved parking is complete or a new request for temporary lots is approved by the village Zoning Board of Appeals.
ZBA Chairman Jeff Ziegelbaur asked council members to enforce the village ordinance and close the lots.
Back in March, the ZBA unanimously denied requests from the DDA to extend its approval of the temporary lots, which had expired. For the southeast lot, it was the third extension request since its installation. For the northwest lot, it was the first.
Ziegelbaur noted there’s nothing preventing the DDA from submitting new requests to the ZBA for temporary lots in those quadrants.
‘If it requires that we reapply to the ZBA, then that’s what we’ll have to do as quickly as we can,? said DDA attorney John Stran.
‘But that doesn’t resolve this weekend’s issue,? noted DDA Chairman Kevin Stephison, who said if the ZBA was willing to entertain another application at a special meeting this week, ‘I’d run for it.?
Closing the lots did not sit well with the DDA and business owners, who expressed their opinions during Monday night’s DDA meeting.
‘This really is one of the biggest black-eyes the village could have gotten,? Stephison said ‘I’m disappointed to be honest with you.?
Oxford 7 Theater Assistant Manager Andrea Smalt noted the parking situation behind the cinema, located in the southeast quadrant, was bad this past weekend and ‘we weren’t that busy.?
As a result of the closed lots, people were ‘creating extra parking rows? and blocking other vehicles in, Smalt explained. Also, ‘there were absolutely no handicapped parking spaces,? which generated complaints, she said.
Griggs expressed concern over how the closed lots will affect a large event her quilting store is participating in Thursday through Saturday (see page 2).
The event, called the Stash Dash, is expected to draw more than 500 people to Griggs? store and ‘more than 90 percent of them have never been here before.?
‘I’m trying my best to promote Oxford, but I have a feeling it’s going to leave a bad taste if we don’t have ample parking,? Griggs said.
Although the only body that can overturn the ZBA’s decision to deny the extensions is the circuit court, DDA attorney Stran noted enforcement of the ordinance, which required closing the lots, is a decision that’s strictly up to the village council, manager and attorney. ‘The ZBA is not the enforcement arm of the village,? he said.
‘We were informed that the chances of enforcement we’re going to be minimal given that (plans for permanent parking were) moving forward,? Stephison noted.
DDA Member Sue Bossardet said the board was told by Young that ‘we didn’t have anything to worry about.?
Young said he told the DDA and council that it was the village attorney’s opinion that ‘as long as we were making progress . . . he would not recommend that we take any further action? with regard to closing the lots.
But village President George Del Vigna noted, ‘We ought to abide by our own rules. We can’t exempt ourselves from the rule of law.?
‘You can’t have double standards here? for the DDA versus private developers, added ZBA Member Bob Brannon.
It was indicated during Monday’s meeting that as long as it appeared as though the DDA was finally making ‘reasonable? progress and ‘working in good faith? toward turning those temporary gravel lots into permanent paved lots, council could reconsider its decision.
An example of this progress would be site plan approval of the DDA’s $770,000 plan to reconstruct, expand and improve the entire southeast parking lot.
Site plan approval, with contingencies related to landscaping, lighting, pedestrian and traffic issues, was granted by the village planning commission in a 6-1 vote June 19.
At the DDA meeting, Del Vigna said if the site plan was approved, ‘I think I can get the council together to see about revamping what was done (with regard to the closed lots).?