Businesses ask for time limits on Nucleus Avenue parking

By CHRIS PETERSON

Hungry Horse News

Several business owners on Nucleus Avenue support a timed parking limit on the street to keep people from parking in front of their shops all day long.

That was just one of the ideas discussed at workshop with the public and city council to talk about parking in downtown Columbia Falls.

There are a few options that the city will likely never pursue — one of them is a parking garage. There isn’t enough room in downtown to build one that would really help, noted city manager Susan Nicosia.

Nicosia said a better alternative is to begin putting curb and gutters on city streets in the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods that don’t currently have them.

Many homeowners don’t realize the city typically owns about 10 feet on right-of-way in their front yards. One business, for example, recently put up its own curb and even planted trees in the city right of way to discourage parking — which isn’t legal.

Other residents get irate when people park in front of their homes, though they have no legal right to stop people, either.

Putting in curb and gutter alleviates some of that problem, as it makes a clear delineation between the street and someone’s front yard.

“Twelve feet of my front yard is not my front yard, it’s city right of way,” Nicosia noted.

She noted there’s plenty of on street parking, if folks are willing to walk a block or two.

Some developments will come with their own parking. Developer Mick Ruis is currently putting apartments and condos in the city square and has plans for a restaurant.

The city square development will come with 81 parking spaces and there will be valet parking for overflow behind buildings he owns on Nucleus.

Parking behind buildings on the east side of Nucleus has been problematic, however. The lots currently have no lines and people often park this way and that, even blocking parking owned by other businesses.

Another topic was the idea of closing the east end of Fifth Street for green space and a pocket park. Ruis has said he would pay for the development, but not all businesses were on board with that.

One restaurant owner said it could hurt her business and make deliveries more difficult. Others thought it was a good idea.

Another idea was simply to add more signage.

For example, on Community Market Night, everyone tries to park close to the market on the north side of Highway 2, while lots remain empty on the south side.

A little bit of signage or direction by market staff could help direct traffic to overflow areas. Other businesses said it was OK to park in their lots after 6 p.m. The Hungry Horse News noted its lot to the east is largely empty after 6 p.m. and Glacier Bank’s lot is largely empty as well. Folks just can’t park in those spots overnight.

At Monday’s city council meeting, Mayor Don Barnhart asked city manager Susan Nicosia to begin the process of getting signs put up between Fifth and Sixth Streets and Seventh and Eighth Streets for timed parking on Nucleus Avenue.