By Dave Parker
For nearly fifty years, Village homeowners along Mill, Martha, and Rockwell Streets have enjoyed a large green space in their backyards. Wildflowers, rabbits, deer, and neighborhood activities all contributed to a cherished communal space in what was once the location of several drying sheds for wooden shoe lasts produced by Fitzpatrick and Weller. A large fire in the early 1970s destroyed the drying sheds and eventually, the lot transitioned to a private owner who kept the property undeveloped. It was in the last year that a convergence of events happened where Cattaraugus County offered to assist the Village of Ellicottville in funding a public improvement project and the property owner decided to sell the vacant property on Mill St. thus setting in motion a plan by the Village to construct a public parking lot to address the regular issue of parking during the many Village events.
The Village was able to purchase the vacant Mill St. property in 2022 for $340,000 and budgeted nearly $1 million for the parking lot construction. All of this was made possible by a grant from Cattaraugus County that fully reimbursed the Village for the land purchase and will compensate 80% of the cost of the parking lot construction. Plans are now in the final stages for a 128-space parking lot after the Zoning Board of Appeals approved the requested variances following the public hearing on April 4th. Over a dozen attendees were at the public hearing and offered up concerns and questions.
Teresa Zenkovich is one of the most impacted homeowners with two properties bordering the new parking lot. “They’ll be putting the entry to the parking lot between my house at 21 Mill St. and my neighbor’s house at 25 Mill St. And then they’ll be running the pedestrian walkway right by the bedroom window at my other property at 6 Martha St. The noise of people coming back from the bars to the rentals is already a concern but funneling them right by my window is frightening,” said Ms. Zenkovich. “Ellicottville has been my family’s home away from home and the green space that will be removed for the parking lot is an important part of the charm of the Village. I really feel this is just benefiting the business owners and transferring the parking issues experienced on the other side of Washington St. to our neighborhood,” remarked Ms. Zenkovich.
Darlene Allen, a long-time resident and local business owner, lives on Rockwell Ave. As a holistic healthcare practitioner, the green space that brought the flora and fauna to her backsteps provided a vital connection to nature. “I’m deeply concerned about the environmental impact of the parking lot, particularly with the vehicle emissions and runoff created by the paved area into the nearby Great Valley Creek,” stated Ms. Allen. “I understand there is a need to address the parking issues but just don’t see how this is the best way to solve it with so many other options that could be looked into,” she noted. Ms. Allen is hoping to get more information on the environmental assessments done for the project and plans for addressing stormwater drainage.
Village Mayor John Burrell was deeply appreciative of public comments and questions provided at the Zoning Board public hearing and encourages homeowners to bring these insights to the Planning Board public hearing on Tuesday, May 9th at 5:30 pm. “The Zoning Board’s public hearing was focused on the variances that needed their approval and most of the great input from the public needs to be discussed with the Planning Board at their upcoming meeting. The Planning Board can address aspects of the parking lot such as fencing, drainage, lighting, and other topics that were expressed by the attendees,” noted the Mayor.
Michael Calabrese of Mill St. offered his input that the parking issues are generally only a concern for a few festival weekends and the parking lot planned for his neighborhood is short-sighted and not adding long-term value. “My take is that the parking lot is not a good long-term play for the Village with many visitors and employees wanting to park near the shops and restaurants. Not many people will want to make that walk in freezing weather,” remarked Mr. Calabrese. “There are so many other options for that property like a park or trails that would benefit the community much more than a parking lot that’s only going to be utilized part of the time.”
Teresa Zenkovich reflected Mr. Calabrese’s remarks, “There are so many other ways to address the Village’s parking concerns and the presentation of options considered and why this course of action was chosen was not explained by the Village officials at the recent public hearing. Also, I don’t see how the purchase of this land and construction of the parking lot while offering free parking is not going to be a financial burden shouldered by us residents.”
Mayor Burrell provided insights for this article on the approach to funding the parking lot maintenance. Initially, parking will remain at no cost throughout the Village but there are plans to evaluate the feasibility of implementing fees for street parking to be paid at kiosks or on phone-based applications. Per the Mayor, this approach has succeeded in other resort towns like Lake Placid and is widely used in other local towns. “Our goal for the parking lot is to keep that at no cost but use the funds from the in-demand street parking to offset the cost,” noted the Mayor. Mayor Burrell also addressed the usage of the property as a parking lot noting that the sale of the property could have been made to a developer who could have constructed apartments, a long-term care facility, or other commercial uses that would not have benefited the community nor addressed the Village parking issue. “The Village has been very fortunate to have the County’s support for funding the property purchase and development. While there are ideas to have a parking lot located elsewhere, there just was no property available at a reasonable distance that was for sale.”
Residents and homeowners are encouraged to attend the Village Planning Board public hearing regarding the Mill St. parking lot scheduled for Tuesday, May 9th at 5:30 pm. For more information on the proposed parking lot and Village Planning topics, please visit their website at https://www.ellicottvillegov.com/village-planning-board-meetings.html.