Parking a Controversial Subject in Oneonta

Downtown Parking in City is Available, if Not Convenient

By MONICA CALZOLARI
ONEONTA

There is a perception that there is a shortage of parking in the City of Oneonta. When the parking garage on Market Street closed, the city lost 433 parking spaces.

City Administrator Greg Mattice has been studying the supply and demand for parking since May 2021 and closely monitoring usage before and after the parking garage closed.

When the new apartments on Dietz Street opened, the city gained 57 parking spots as well as a number of new residents.

Mattice said, “The southern portion of the Dietz lot is now open and available for public parking.”

He clarified that this lot is not reserved for the residents of the new apartments on Dietz Street, but they are welcome to park there.

The parking spots on Main Street, in the Westcott lot and in the Wall Street lot, are the most popular. Before the garage was closed, these locations reached 80-90 percent occupancy mid-day and are now at 99-100 percent occupancy.

According to Mattice, “In total, there are 66 spaces on Main Street between Fairview Street to Grand Street….The busiest times of the week, in terms of greatest number of cars parked in downtown public spaces, are typically mid-day on Thursdays and Fridays.”

Mattice concluded, “…Even without the parking garage, there are still enough public parking spaces in downtown Oneonta to accommodate the current quantity of parking demand…. It may seem difficult to find a parking space on or very close to Main Street because those are the most highly coveted spaces.”

The location of the remaining parking spots may not be as conveniently located, but parking is available. In total, there are 301 on-street parking spots in downtown Oneonta. Plus, there are four public parking lots with another 282 spaces including the Dietz, Westcott and Wall Street lots.

As a map on the City of Oneonta website indicates, some provide free overnight parking. Others are limited to two hours or restrict parking between 2-6 a.m.

Tyler Miller, a resident of downtown Oneonta, said, “It is challenging for sure. Parking during the week is different than on the weekends. I park overnight in the Dietz Street lot from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.”

Miller used to park overnight in the spots marked “tenants only” behind Theresa’s Emporium. Then he found out that those spots were reserved for certain apartments, not the one he rents. Like other private lots reserved for customers, this lot frequently has empty spaces.

In addition to the 583 parking spots owned by the city, there are many privately-owned parking lots not under the purview of the City of Oneonta. Some include:

• The Clinton Plaza parking lot by B-side has 65 parking spaces.
• The Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center has approximately 70 spaces.
• The Marx Hotel has a large parking lot.
• NBT Bank on Chestnut Street has 26 spaces.
• Community Arts Network of Oneonta has approximately 23 spaces.
• Community Bank on Main Street has approximately 87 spaces behind its building that are now being patrolled for customers only.

Parking Under Development

The former Oneonta Sales building site will become a temporary parking lot with approximately 49 spaces, but it is not yet open.

The former parking garage site will become a parking lot with approximately 108 spaces. It will be at least a year before this opens.

Miller said, “The garage provided covered parking overnight. When it snowed, I was still able to get to work.”

He worries about what the city’s plan is this winter.

One new downtown resident who attended the October 17, 2023 Common Council meeting asked about parking rules during snow storms.

Plans and Solutions

Mattice responded that cars can be parked at Damaschke Field during a snow storm. When snow reaches 2.5-3 inches, a snow emergency is declared and residents are asked to remove their cars from the street so the city can plow the snow.

The Damaschke Field lot has approximately 108 parking spaces. Neahwa Park’s Large Pavilion lot has another 108 spaces. The City of Oneonta piloted a program and ran a shuttle from these locations this summer.

Mattice is in favor of “an intelligent paid parking program.” During the Common Council session on the City’s Strategic Plan, he proposed a paid parking permit for Oneonta residents and pay-by-plate parking in high demand areas.

The City of Oneonta Police Department has one full-time parking enforcement officer.

Mattice shared an article summarizing an 800-page book, “The High Cost of Free Parking.” The author, Donald Shoup, notes, “Thinking about parking seems to take place in the reptilian cortex, the primitive part of the brain said to govern behavior like aggression, territoriality, and ritual display—all factors in parking.”

To address the controversy about parking, the mayor’s office is designing an illustrated parking map which will be available as a brochure throughout the business district soon. That map will be displayed as a poster on the city’s trash cans.

“Student trainees from the Oneonta Job Corps drone program will be shooting and posting photographic documentation of parking availabilities downtown at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m. daily,” according to Mayor Drnek. “The images will be available on a website that will be unveiled in the next few weeks.”