2009.06.07
Trejbal: Plenty of parking in downtown Blacksburg
The phantom parking shortage
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about renovations planned for the Blacksburg Farmers Market that would remove 19 parking spaces from the nearby lot. I argued it was no great loss.
Many readers did not agree. In e-mails and comments on our blog, they said parking downtown is nigh impossible and the last thing the town should do is cover some with the Farmers Market and a pocket park.
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It is no surprise that town officials don't have exact numbers on how many parking spaces there are "downtown." It was this "trust us, we're the government" use of numbers that got us taxpayers tangled up in the Kent Square parking garage because the town officials told us there wasn't enough parking. Has there yet been a payment made as promised to reimburse the tax dollars that went into this project? As to the "free" parking, isn't is between 2 and 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday? As to other parking issues, it would be nice to be able to park on College Avenue, but often spaces are taken up by the Jimmy Johns delivery vehicles (when they aren't parked in the unloading/designated driver or ATM space by Squires). There were also more metered spaces around town (the Armory lot, Draper between Roanoke and Washington, and Lee Street) but I guess they were taken out to force people into Kent Square. And yes, it may be the same distance from the far corner of the Wal-Mart parking lot back to the deli section, but it is rare that I park in the far corner of the Wal-Mart lot -- so that is a bit of a strawman argument.
Comment by Joe Hokie — June 7, 2009 @ 10:45 am
But that's about the distance to the Lyric from Kent Square. Getting to things on Main Street requires a shorter walk. Are you saying you refuse to walk all of four minutes from the garage to campus?
Free parking is available at different times including during some events.
Comment by C. Trejbal — June 7, 2009 @ 11:17 am
No, I'm saying to bring up the Wal-Mart parking lot distance issue is a bogus argument when talking about parking in downtown Blacksburg. It is an apples to oranges thing. When I go to Wal-Mart, unless it is really busy, I usually get a space less than a city block from the front door -- and once inside I know I will be covering a bit of territory as I shop. Depending on when I am going downtown, I can usually get a decent parking space reasonably close to where I want to go (of course, I have paid a large sum of money to Virginia Tech for a parking permit that gives me an advantage that others don't have at certain times of the day and year). At other times, such and nights and weekends when there are no VT parking restrictions, distance still isn't much of a problem -- even for Steppin' Out and the like -- there is an expectation that a several-block walk will be required and it is accepted. The big issue is still that there is a proclamation that parking downtown is a problem but no one has produced any type of study that documents that -- either now or back when taxpayers were being told we had to pony up the money to support Kent Square. That (and the Toms Creek sewer and other issues) is why we had a change in town council -- there was no transparency in our town government (and it is still kind of opaque).
Comment by Joe Hokie — June 7, 2009 @ 12:27 pm
When running necessary errands with three children, I'm not doing it for a leisurely stroll. There are certain times I don't mind having to park extremely far from my destination but that is the exception not the rule. Throw inclement weather into the equation with said three children and I would just as soon not carry out my business with a lengthy walk. I very much like to keep the dollars I spend in my own community but when my community makes it difficult and stressful to do that I will opt for an easier way. There might be a real reason Blacksburg is becoming a suburb of Christiansburg.
Mr. Trejbal, if parking is a phantom issue, why not share the location of your "secret lot" no one knows about? It seems you enjoy being able to find a "guaranteed" place to park just like the rest us. If your argument is that there are abundant places to park and this lot is always empty then why not be a good neighbor and share the blessing?
Comment by D.M. Shelton — June 7, 2009 @ 1:24 pm
Because I'd like it to remain available. It's not like it's out of the way or hidden. People just don't think of it very often. I'm not the only one who parks there by any stretch, though.
There is abundant parking if you are willing to walk, and I described one lot that typically has available spots. I'm sorry that you find herding your kids inconvenient.
Comment by C. Trejbal — June 7, 2009 @ 2:03 pm
"why not be a good neighbor and share the blessing?"
Now that's funny. D.M. clearly has no idea who he (or she) is addressing. The article should have said there is plenty of convenient parking if you are in the right demographic.
Comment by C Ramsey — June 7, 2009 @ 3:20 pm
You just reitterated my point, Mr. Trejbal. You want an available parking space! We all want an available space that is not out of the way! I'm not trying to change your mind, as that is most often not possible, just bringing up another point of view from a citizen who supports the local merchants!
While I have children, not cattle, my preference as I stated would be to not have to walk four minutes in pouring rain, particularly if one happens to be a baby in my arms. Let's not be rude, please.
Comment by D.M. Shelton — June 7, 2009 @ 4:05 pm
Is there a merchant downtown that sells umbrella's?
Comment by Blue John — June 7, 2009 @ 4:57 pm
If there really is sufficient parking downtown, then it shouldn't be a big deal if your "secret" parking spot gets taken, now, should it?
Your reluctance belies the premise of your article.
Comment by Jake — June 7, 2009 @ 6:48 pm
Interesting reasoning, Jake, but it remains largely unused during special events, and that's huge. You won't get me to talk.
Comment by C. Trejbal — June 7, 2009 @ 8:08 pm
C.T.,
I can make you talk.
Forget waterboarding, I was forced by my daughter and her friends to watch the Tina Fey movie "Baby Mama" the other night. I would have told anyone anything after the first fifteen minutes.
Comment by Blue John — June 7, 2009 @ 8:49 pm
Oh brother. Find your own parking spots. Unbelieveable the stuff people find to whine about.
DM Shelton you're hardly the only mother in the history of the universe to run errands with small children. Cowboy up and you'll be just fine.
Comment by Kristen — June 7, 2009 @ 8:57 pm
Ve haf vays uff makingk you talk.
Comment by Jake — June 8, 2009 @ 8:21 am
I can say this much. On a nice day, I don't really mind walking around downtown a few blocks from where I park to where I'm going. Most often, I cannot get a parking space along or near College Avenue during the day to go to any of those destinations in that area, until after 5 when I can park on campus without getting one of their stiff tickets for not having a permit. There are plenty of spaces along Progress and Church streets behind downtown, and they are reasonably convenient. Kent Square is moderately convenient, but in bad weather not so much. There have been several times we've wanted to eat downtown and it's been raining or cold, and after circling 3 or 4 times looking for parking within 2 blocks of where we want to be, we've headed elsewhere instead. That's the main problem I see: lack of convenient parking. If/when they ever convert the parking lot by Squires to a deck, that will resolve almost all of the conveinence parking problem, and there will certainly be more than enough total spaces to handle what goes on in downtown now and likely in the next several years too. THough, I think part of the reason parking in downtown is not too difficult is the plethora of closed and empty storefronts. If they had active businesses, I think parking would actually be the nightmare that it only seems to be now.
Comment by Other John — June 8, 2009 @ 9:02 am
OJ wouldn't that deck be for folks with VT parking passes most of the time?
Comment by HCS — June 8, 2009 @ 9:28 am
Walking from the Methodist Church to downtown Blacksburg is a shorter walk that I take from my parking space at the larger malls I have visited. We are just spoiled. Parking near the store is not an issue of walking; it speaks to our importance. We are important therefore we should not have to walk very far to the gym where we will do three miles on the treadmill.
Comment by Henry — June 8, 2009 @ 9:35 am
During the day, yes, but it would also serve to help pull VT-affiliated people to the deck, rather than having them take up a metered space in downtown. After hours, it would provide parking for places like The Lyric, and all the restaurants and establishments in the College/Draper/Main area of central downtown, plus the future performance hall and theater when they open and are built.
Comment by Other John — June 8, 2009 @ 10:27 am
Have any of the downtown merchants offered to pay parking fees for their customers? Maybe BURG could get the ball rolling on this. After all, aren't they supposed to save Blacksburg?
Comment by Blue John — June 8, 2009 @ 10:32 am
I remember at one time you could get free parking at Kent Square if you showed your receipt to the parking attendant, but I don't know if they still do it. Some of the malls I've been to do this too. MacArthur Center in downtown Norfolk would give away free parking to customers if they showed a receipt from any of their retailers, so it was free for mall patrons, but charged for non-mall business. That helped to both encourage mall shoppers to come, and discourage downtown workers from parking in the mall decks. It seems to have worked there, though, I haven't been to Norfolk much since moving to the NRV.
Comment by Other John — June 8, 2009 @ 10:57 am
So I find it very dignified and convenient to have to walk around from the back of the complex at First and Main to bump into the bookstore, way over on the corner, to grab a copy of the Los Angeles Times. What a design nightmare that place is. It's all about cramming as many stores in the mouth of the place as possible and not about customer convenience, which is what brings in customers, in the first place. Now days, in the modern world, you have to cater to the customer and adapt to the patterns. You can't hold on to old ideas and expect to move forward in the world. The South Main street shopping center has completely failed to cater to the convenience of the customer. It is comical how far to the edge they've gone from catering to the customer. How in the world did this design gain approval? Was this designed by an architect, or a builder? I'd say the latter.
...shameful. It's a decadent party that is all about getting rent for space and has nothing to do about the customer experience. Downtown has failed, because of the parking situation, now the new thing is set to fail. Might as well expect to have to go to Christiansburg for your shopping needs. FAIL.
Comment by Lee Harless — June 12, 2009 @ 9:07 am
Take your business over to the North Main street establishments if you want the best experience in town, a long held secret of locals in-the-know.
..and don't elude to my being lazy because I don't find walking around a whole retail complex, from the rear, to the front, very pleasing. That's just arrogance and that doesn't belong to an intelligent conversation between adults. This is mostly my opinion, but I'll bet you a crisp one dollar bill that I have some buddies that feel the same way about that place.
Comment by Lee Harless — June 12, 2009 @ 9:20 am
Lee, architects were most definitely behind the design and engineers did the plans based on the architectural renderings developed by the property developer/manager's subconsultant (I should know, I was involved in the project, though not the layout or design), and the Town wholeheartedly loved the idea and approved of it because of the Main Street kind of feel that First & Main is attempting to create. I agree that I do not like having to park away from the bookstore or the restaurants my wife and I go to there, especially if it's raining. The fully built site is suppoed to have a lot more available parking near the bookstore, but because the theater project has not moved forward, that parking remains off-limits. I tend to park in the covered parking area behind Sake House and Bull & Bones for convenience, and my car stays cooler too. It's no worse than the downtown walks, or the short walks in from any parking aisles at other nearby commercial sites. The whole point of the First & Main development was to create a small-scale community feel with the layout, rather than simply having yet another strip mall with an expansive parking lot between the buildings and the road. The site has definitely succeeded on that end, but because they have not fully built out the site or filled the empty retail spots, much of what the center was supposed to become at its maturity has not yet come about.
Comment by Other John — June 12, 2009 @ 9:30 am
Being a resident of Blacksburg for 20 years, I have seen everything change. Look, people. There is always a shortage of something. Parking is one of the many great problems owned by this small town. Kent square did not help much, except it removed a funeral home and an auto shop from downtown. Blacksburg has a parking issue as well as a BURG issue. As many people have noted, "Blacksburg is a entity unto itself." May we all ooh and ahh about ourselves until the stink rises far above the sewage treatment plant. Yes, we have a parking shortage. No, it is not all the time. Yes, it is caused by events stemming from the much worshiped university. If ya can't handle it, ride a bike or the BT.
Comment by Cary Linn — June 12, 2009 @ 5:45 pm
You can find parking options on the downtownblacksburg.com website.
Also several of the downtown stores do offer parking validation for the Kent Square lot.
Comment by Loz — June 15, 2009 @ 9:40 am
@ Other John: I see. Well, maybe the situation at Firswt and Main will be better once the additional parking is built. I hadn't thought of that. I suppose I made a snap judgment. My apologies.
Comment by Lee Harless — June 16, 2009 @ 4:20 pm
Lee, it's no problem at all. I was heartened that when I went to lunch there today, despite the rain, the Sake House was full and we had to wait a few minutes for seating. I've been concerned about the amount of traffic going to the site because of the empty fronts, parking issues, and lack of a major draw to the center...but it seems to be doing alright at this point without those. I doubt it can sustain itself with the current configuration, but maybe they can hold out until ground breaks on the outparcels, theater, and the remaining storefronts in the center. I'm starting to think the center is viable w/o a Wal-mart type anchor, though having some sort of large format store certainly could not hurt. Maybe a Whole Foods could come, I think the Town would be receptive to them.
Comment by Other John — June 16, 2009 @ 4:42 pm
I'm still miffed that the town took away the handicapped spot right by the Lantern, across from the Rivermill. I broke my back three years ago, and the doctor's told me I might walk again. Needless to say, I tried to be a regular patron of an establishment that required me to traverse stairs with my quad canes. Was doing well with that, feeling good.
But then my normal spot right there disappeared, replaced by another parking meter. Which means that I'm often looking for a parking spot that's a lot further away, and makes me less likely to support my local music venue because I sure as hell am not walking from the back of the walmart parking lot to the deli.
Thanks Blacksburg.
Comment by Deral — June 18, 2009 @ 10:12 pm
Downtown Blacksburg has some of the easiest, most convenient and accessible parking of any
town I have ever lived in or visited. The problem is people, not availability of parking. People are
either too lazy or too impatient to park (a whole block) from where they are going—which in most
cases is actually a shorter physical distance than walking across a mall parking lot.
Add to that, the parking lots behind the east side of Main Street and the Kent Square Garage (safe,
affordable and walkable to every imaginable destination in Downtown Blacksburg and the surrounding
University and residential neighborhoods.
There is absolutely no substance or fact to support otherwise - now get off your rears and go support
the downtown so many people here 'claim' to love and want to save but are too lazy to actual visit.
That my friends is why the malls and shopping centers thrive and downtown struggles. The only people
to blame are yourselves!!!
Comment by Love NRV — July 28, 2009 @ 2:16 pm