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By Carey King
Cope's Superette owner Hugh Thompson says customer complaints
are up and business is down since the town of Sylva changed the
parking pattern near his store last month.
"Complaints have quadrupled since the parking change, and
business is off 20 to 23 percent. The parking has made a real
impact on us as far as business goes," Thompson said.
The downtown merchant voiced his concerns to members of Sylva's
public safety committee Sept. 16.
Tanya Calhoun, also of Cope's, said she's seen an increase in
near-accidents since the parking change.
"It's a real bad mix, with people pulling out and backing
into traffic," she said.
Both Calhoun and Thompson said the switch from parallel to angled
parking on Mill Street's south side has reduced parking possibilities
by three or four vehicles.
While commissioner Maurice Moody agreed that problems exist with
the new pattern, he said previous situation (when drivers double-
and triple-parked in order to visit Cope's, Bay's Corner and other
stores in the area) was worse.
"The goal to start with was to stop the illegal parking.
I think we're obligated to stop the double-parking there. There's
liability on the town," said Moody.
Assistant Police Chief Mary Cook noted that if the town returned
to the parallel parking pattern, double-parking would have to
be controlled through parking tickets.
"If we change and start writing parking tickets, it'll also
hurt your business," Cook told Thompson.
Town Manager Richard McHargue's major concern with any further
changes was accessibility for the handicapped, since the new parking
pattern created the only handicapped space on Mill Street.
"We've got to have some handicapped parking. In the last
three or four years, there has been a crackdown from higher levels
of government in enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act,
especially in downtown areas," he said.
Thompson asked if there could be an exception to ADA law, in light
of the fact that Cope's, Bay's Corner and other businesses in
the immediate area, such as Central Carolina Bank and the back
of Lulu's on Main, are not accessible to the handicapped.
"It's not that we don't want to be handicap-accessible, but
we are restricted in what we can do due to cost.
We'll have customers who need help call beforehand, and we'll
take what they need out to them," said Thompson.
Saying convenience is key in attracting customers downtown, Thompson
suggested creating additional parking spaces by changing Spring
and Landis streets into one-way streets and adding parking there.
Calhoun proposed creating spaces on the side of Mill Street opposite
Cope's, in the area now filled with gravel and flowers.
Moody, however, reminded the group of parking options that already
exist in the area.
"We have a parking lot across from Cope's and two places
you can walk across Mill Street, one across from Peeble's and
one near the corner," said Moody.
"In small towns, people don't like to walk. If you're in
Asheville and you park in a spot four or five blocks away from
where you're going, you think you've lucked out," Moody said.
"But if you're in a small town, if you park more than three
or four spots away, you think you're too far."
Committee members agreed to reconsider the new parking pattern's
no-parking zone and the number of parking spaces directly in front
of Cope's. Moody asked that the Police Department review both
concerns and report back before the committee decides the matter.
The committee's next meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday,
Oct. 8.
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