Cuyahoga Falls City Council approved two agendas during its June 4th meeting to create two new parking areas on the South end of downtown Front St. in an attempt to alleviate limited parking availability in the newly renovated downtown.
The first agenda will allow the creation of a new parking lot at the South end of the existing Sheraton parking lot, across from Watermark Village, currently utilized by High Bridge Glens Park. The legislation will allow 0.6 acres of the park to be paved to create approximately 50 new parking spaces in addition to utilizing half the lot currently in use by Fire Station #1 between Weller Ct. and Falls Ave.
The second agenda allows for the replacement of a structure located at 1816 Front St. with a lot containing a minimum of 50 parking spaces. The total cost of this project is not to exceed $300,000 and is currently under development as part of Phase II of construction at Front St.
A representative from Testa Companies noted at the meeting that a plan for a larger lot currently utilized by Superior Used Cars had been in the planning stages, but that the owner backed out of the deal.
At the May 21st city council meeting, Sarah Parsons, a representative from HiHo Brewing Co., which is located at 1707 Front St., stated that the lack of available parking is a problem for the brewery’s business. “Our parking has 31 spots, and once it becomes full, customers do not know where to park. They complain about it in our reviews and sometimes they just drive by if there is no visible parking,” she said. The problem is compounded by people parking in the HiHo lot to walk to other downtown businesses. While there is a lot by the entrance to the High Bridge Trail, many are not aware of it or do not want to park there.
The North side of the recently reopened Front Street offers two parking decks complete with space counters, but few people choose to park at the North end to visit establishments on the other end of the street.
