Willow Glen Resident

News

Association explores how to improve parking on Lincoln Ave.

By Alicia Upano

The Willow Glen Business and Professional Association is still looking at ways to improve parking in downtown, and Lincoln Avenue is at the heart of the problem.

In April, the business association had a community meeting to discuss the option of removing city parking requirements from downtown. Other business improvement districts have already made these changes, business association president Tom Trudell said, and have done so quickly.

But the business association is taking time to weigh the concerns of the community. It requested input from the North Willow Glen and Willow Glen neighborhood associations and the Palm Haven Restoration Committee. On Aug. 9, the neighborhood association board approved a letter outlining its parking concerns.

The neighborhood association and the business association do agree on one thing--current parking restrictions in downtown may hinder incoming businesses more than they help.

Parking requirements in San Jose have been in place since the early 1960s, but Willow Glen's older buildings were not built with sufficient parking. The situation is an ongoing headache for retailers or restaurant owners who want to locate to Lincoln Avenue. They frequently find themselves unable to meet city parking requirements.

Although the original idea was to remove the parking requirement from the business district, the neighborhood association feared such a situation could create a free for all, with unforeseen problems. Trudell said there might be a middle-ground solution to the problem.

"We're losing the retail on Lincoln Avenue," neighborhood association president Ed Rast said at the Aug. 9 meeting. "We're trying to work on something that's good for everybody while anticipating any problems."

Those problems could include pedestrian safety issues, a lack of convenient parking and an overflow of parking onto neighboring residential streets, according to the association's letter.

The neighborhood association suggested the business district create a continuous parking lot from Minnesota Avenue to Willow Street. This would require the removal of segmented parking behind buildings and help eliminate some of the entrances and exits onto Lincoln Avenue. The association would also like to see retailers ask their employees to park further away from the businesses to leave ample space for customers. The board wants to encourage the business association to promote cycling in downtown Willow Glen by adding a bike lane to Lincoln Avenue and secured bicycle-storage facilities.

"We value their input. It's a partnership; we rely on each other," said Trudell, referring to residents' suggestions.

On Aug. 25, the business association's executive board met to discuss the matter again. Trudell is hopeful the board will come up with a parking recommendation in upcoming months. The community will then have another opportunity to provide input, he said.

"The permit process puts a damper on new businesses. What we're trying to do is reduce that formula, to make that more generous, more flexible," Trudell said. "Then businesses will have a chance to move in and make a go of it."