A portion of downtown Oxford’s northwest parking lot was once again cordoned off last week at the village council’s direction because the Downtown Development Authority failed to apply for an extension of its temporary use approval.
‘I think it should be roped off immediately,? said Councilman Tom Benner.
Using orange barrels and yellow rope, the gravel-topped parking area in the northwest lot was blocked off Jan. 9 by village DPW workers. The move upset some business owners in the quadrant.
‘This is the busiest time of the year for me and today I had three or four members call me and tell me they couldn’t find parking spots, so they went home,? said Suzanne Ardelan, owner of Curves, a local gym for ladies.
DDA approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals to use that gravel area as a temporary parking lot expired Dec. 31. No one from the DDA applied for an extension prior to the expiration.
‘I found out that (DDA Director) Carolyn (Bennett) neglected to submit the renewal for the parking lot,? Ardelan said. ‘I’m very disappointed. She apologized to me, but these are the small things that need to be tracked and taken care of.?
Bennett said she was operating under the mistaken impression that as long as progress was being made on having the northwest lot reconstructed and improved, there was no need to apply with the ZBA for an extension.
Requests for Proposals to do the design and engineering work for the parking lot were sent out Dec. 20 to five engineering firms, according to Bennett.
‘I have responses from three of them so far, asking questions, that kind of thing,? she said.
Given the fact that bidding out this type of public project involves numerous steps and multiple people, DDA Member Mark Young said, ‘Unfortunately, these things do take time. We don’t always meet the time table that we must meet.?
Seeing the gravel lot was still open past the expiration date, ZBA Chairman Jeff Ziegelbaur contacted the village Jan. 3 and requested it be closed to public use.
Manager Joe Young brought the issue before council Jan. 8 seeking direction because enforcement is up to it.
‘I don’t take orders from the ZBA chairperson,? the manager told council.
Council directed Young to have the area immediately closed off until the DDA comes back to the ZBA seeking an extension.
‘I, for one, agree with Chairperson Ziegelbaur that this should be roped off,? said Councilman Mike Hamilton.
‘I think they (the DDA) were very much aware of the fact that (temporary approval) was going to expire,? Benner said. ‘I don’t feel that they should have any other privileges or more privileges than any developer.?
Young, who owns Mark A. Young Jewelers located in the northwest quadrant, supported the decision. ‘The ZBA did the right thing because otherwise we would just have anarchy in town,? he said. ‘The government must follow its own procedures.?
Ardelan offered a different perspective.
‘Although Mr. Ziegelbaur really is doing the right thing by enforcing the guidelines, I think the zoning board made a poor decision for the businesses downtown,? she said. ‘Although it is within (the village’s) right to close the parking lot, I don’t think he considered how it would affect my business or other businesses in this quadrant. I’m disappointed that the decision was made pro-rules rather than pro-business.?
Representatives from the DDA are planning to go before the ZBA 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4 to request temporary use approval for the gravel lot be granted once again.
Mark Young hopes the ZBA will approve the request. ‘They will see some progress here very shortly as far as the engineering being done and the lot being paved,? he noted.
The DDA is planning to reconstruct and expand the entire northwest parking lot this year. Along with repaving the existing 77 asphalt spaces, plans call for the addition of approximately 52 paved spaces using the gravel lot and the vacant land once occupied by a two-story group home demolished in July 2006.
Drainage and ingress/egress issues ? such as the big slope vehicles face entering and exiting the lot from W. Burdick St. ? will also be corrected.