Legislature passes resolution urging City of Buffalo Common Council to revisit changes to downtown parking and allow for more public input

Modified: January 3, 2019 5:36pm

01/03/2019

The Erie County Legislature’s Minority Caucus introduced a resolution calling on the City of Buffalo Common Council to re-visit changes to downtown parking that were announced last week. The resolution passed by a vote of 9-2 Thursday, with Chairman Peter Savage and Legislator Barbara Miller-Williams voting against it.

Late last week, the Common Council introduced a measure that would double the hourly street parking rate from one dollar per hour to two dollars and expand paid parking hours from 7am-10pm Monday through Saturday.  Yesterday, Council President Darius Pridgen announced they would revisit the plan that would reduce the paid street parking hours from 8am-5pm. However, the price increase remains in effect during those hours and on specific streets during special events at the KeyBank Center after 4pm.

Legislator Ed Rath said, “I am encouraged to see city representatives working towards a better solution, but returning street parking hours from 8am-5pm simply isn’t enough. We should be looking to support increased traffic downtown, not turn it away by raising parking prices. I am hoping the city will come to an agreement to keep downtown parking affordable.”

Legislator John Mills said, “Increased street parking rates are bound to hurt small businesses downtown. Those establishments, their employees and their customers deserve access to affordable parking. The Common Council needs to go back to the drawing board and find a solution that keeps visitors attracted to our region. With Buffalo being the critical mass to Erie County, it should be more user friendly to all residents and visitors.”

Legislator Joe Lorigo said, “It is disappointing that significant changes like this were made without public input the day after Christmas. People who work, shop, eat and enjoy other events in downtown Buffalo deserve to have a voice. I encourage the mayor and Common Council to consider additional public input before moving forward with any changes.”

Legislator Lynne Dixon said, “Buffalo’s resurgence has encouraged many people to visit downtown and surrounding areas like Canalside. High parking fees are likely to turn people away at a time when we should be trying to increase tourism and downtown visitors. I’m hoping the city will adjust its plans in support of more affordable, accessible parking.”

Legislator Tom Loughran also co-sponsored the resolution. A copy of it can be found here.

Contact

Phone: (716) 858-7500
Fax: (716) 858-8895

Erie County Legislature
92 Franklin Street - 4th Floor
Buffalo, New York 14202

Legislator Contact Information

FOIL Requests