Politics & Government

Town Council Reaches Tentative Agreement on Parking Lot

Spaces would be divided between customers, merchants and MARC commuters.

The new parking lot north of the would have its spaces divided up among retail customers, merchants and commuters, according to a tentative agreement reached by the Kensington Town Council.

At its meeting Monday, the council discussed how to organize the new lot, which is .

Council Member Mackie Barch's compromise would designate 32 of the new lot's 54 spaces for retail use, with half for customers and half for employees. MARC commuters would get 19 spaces on the lot, and the remaining three spaces would be for handicapped access.

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The town also owns 18 spaces on the existing MARC lot south of the tracks, which it currently allows commuters to use. Under Barch's plan, half of those spaces would be designated for retail use, bringing the town's total tally to 41 retail spaces and 28 commuter spaces.

Under the proposal, the town would not initially charge for parking on the lot, but instead monitor its use with the possibility of reapportioning the spaces and instituting fees at a later date.

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The council did not vote on the plan but instead agreed that it was a good framework from which town staff can draft a resolution for Dec. 12's meeting.

At the meeting, Kensington resident John Morris said that there is already ample parking for retail in town and that the council should give the majority of its new spaces to MARC commuters, whose patronage is good for the local economy.

"Kensington needs to encourage MARC and transit use," he said. "The town needs to look at the big picture and not just heed to the Howard Avenue merchants."

Mayor Peter Fosselman pointed out that the lot was initially conceived to serve the Kensington's businesses, and that the merchants, not commuters, are the town's constituents.

"If we open the lot up 100 percent (to commuters), we've reneged on a promise to the retail community as to the purpose of the lot," he said.

Council members are also yet to decide on how to charge for parking on the lot. Members discussed charging an annual fee for commuters and long-term retail parkers, and leasing an electronic meter for short-term customers, and Town Manager Sanford Daily said he would gather leasing and permitting information for the next meeting.


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