Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
Dear Mr. Frost:
I have been following The Chronicle’s coverage of the permit parking resolution, including the mayor’s comments after the Council tabled it on July 28.
I own 128 and 132 Glen Street and I have invested in downtown Glens Falls because I believe in it. I think this proposal shows real disregard for everyone who has done the same.
There is one fact I have not seen anyone mention, and it changes the whole picture. Section 208-16(a) of the City Code prohibits parking on any City street between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., with a single exception for the south side of Lapham Place between Glen Street and the loading dock at 229 Glen Street.
So, when the City points out that it has removed time limits on Warren east of Church, on Hudson, on Washington and Lawrence, none of that helps anyone who lives downtown.
Which means the Warren, Ridge and Exchange Street lots and the first floor of the Clinton garage are, in practice, where downtown tenants must leave a car overnight. This proposal takes those spaces, makes them permit-only, and moves the cost from $45 a quarter to $40 to $70 a month, on top of a waiting list. That is not creating parking. It is charging more for less of it, and telling residents to queue.
Parking scarcity already has consequences. A prime unit at 128 Glen Street sat vacant close to three months this year despite aggressive marketing across multiple listing sites.
It was not the unit and it was not the rent. Every prospect asked where they would park, and I had no answer good enough to close the lease. Make that answer worse and the vacancies get longer and the community suffers.
The Mayor said the plan came out of tons and tons of input. I own two buildings in the middle of the affected area and no one from the City ever asked me a single question about it. I would be curious whether your reporting turns up other downtown owners who would say the same.
I am writing to the Mayor, all six Council members, the City Clerk’s office and the Economic Development Director as well. You are welcome to publish this letter, in whole or edited for length, and I am happy to talk on the record.
The question I would most like to see asked out loud is a simple one: Where, exactly, is a downtown tenant supposed to legally park at three in the morning?
Respectfully,
— Salvatore Lentile, Owner, 128 & 132 Glen Street
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