By Jim Newell

Review Editor

Parking in the Village of Lake Orion is problematic and there are no easy solutions. That’s the responsibility that the village’s parking committee is charged with solving.

On Monday, the Lake Orion Parking Study Ad-hoc Committee recommended exploring possibilities for establishing a pay-to-park system in the village. Members also discussed a proposal about bringing a valet service downtown during prime weekend hours.

Pay-to-park

There had been suggestions about changing on-street parking from two hours to a three-hour limit, said village Manager Joe Young.

Currently, parking on village streets is limited to two hours, and all parking in the village is free. There are several parking lots that are six-hour or 23-hour lots for long-term parking.

“It’s pretty impossible to do stuff in two hours in town. If you’re going to three or four shops, even if they’re on the same street…and then if you stay and have breakfast or lunch or dinner…” said Lisa Sokol, a business representative from 20 Front St. music venue and café.

The village does want to encourage people to visit the downtown and has received some comments from people saying they would not visit Lake Orion if they had to pay to park, Young said.

Others at the meeting, however, pointed out that the village’s previously stated goal was to create turnover in short-term parking spaces and direct long-term traffic to parking lots.

So, a pay-to-park system might be a viable option: customers could park on the street

for longer than two hours – they would just have to pay for it.

Village Council President Ken Van Portfliet said Rich & Associates, the village’s parking consultants, did recommend two-hour on-street parking.

“They said you want to manage your parking, not have your parking to manage you,” he said. “Right now, I’m not getting any support for the paid parking…from pretty much anybody.”

DDA Executive Director Molly LaLone has been against instituting pay-to-park, especially with construction planned for this summer, fearing that it would be another deterrent to people visiting the downtown.

LaLone, who is on the parking committee and did not attend the meeting due to an out-of-state training seminar, was unavailable for comment.

Van Portfliet said having a moratorium on exploring paid parking was not the way to go, and that implementing any program would take time.

“To me, that’s just a delay. I think we should still move forward,” Van Portfliet said. “I don’t think the reconstruct of M-24 has any real play on whether we charge for parking or not…I think we should be going forward and strategizing,” he said.

Committee members discussed the possibility of payment kiosks instead of metering every spot, which some members felt could be an eyesore.

Village Manager Joe Young was adamant that the goal would not be making money if the village instituted pay-to-park. Revenue from pay-to-park would go toward maintaining the system and enhancing parking.

The committee recommended that the DDA explore paid parking options – kiosks, or meters or other options – and a plan to initiate a pay-to-park system by the end of the year.

Valet Parking

The village is exploring bringing valet parking to Lake Orion during the busiest hours, evenings on Thursdays – Saturdays.

First Class Valet, Inc. of Rochester Hills submitted a $600 proposal to the village for services from 6-11 p.m. Thursday – Saturday. If they accept the proposal, village officials said they would have to designate a lot, likely the new lot on Slater Street, for valet parking during those hours.

Van Portfliet requested that a representative from First Class Valet give a presentation to the committee before moving forward with a vote. The committee is scheduling a special meeting for date to be determined.