To address different parking needs downtown, Oneonta’s Quality of Life and Infrastructure Committee discussed potential options for a parking permit Tuesday, May 26.
Members agreed they needed to define clearer goals for a parking permit before moving forward with different options. The committee also discussed sidewalk repair prioritization and decided to seek more input from the rest of the Common Council.
City Administrator Greg Mattice shared map data on the conditions of sidewalks around the city. The map showed that the most deteriorated sidewalks were concentrated in the center of the city.
“You can really see patterns,” said Committee Chairperson Elayne Mosher Campoli, D-First Ward.
Though the map showed dozens of sidewalks in disrepair, the limited sidewalk repair budget requires prioritization.
“We have a $100,000 budget for this year,” Director of Public Works Chris Yacobucci said. “It doesn’t go very far.”
The sidewalk budget for this year was an increase from the $40,000 allotted in both 2024 and 2025.
Scott Harrington, R-Sixth Ward, asked whether certain streets with less traffic could have only one sidewalk to reduce the burden.
Yacobucci said under the city’s Complete Streets Policy, “my guidance is sidewalks on both sides of the street and curbs.”
Yacobucci said he and Mattice had discussed the possibility of council members suggesting two or three streets per year to receive sidewalk repairs.
“It doesn’t have to be your wards, could be other wards,” Yacobucci said. “Where do you guys, where do each of you feel that DPW should focus on sidewalk repair in 2027?” He added that Washington Street is already on the list.
Mattice said that the data the city has collected can be combined with council members’ perspectives.
“Now understanding our limited budget and the scope of what needs to be replaced or repaired,” Mattice said, “are you hearing things from your residents? Do you see something on here you think, well, ‘that’s a priority, because that is a main thoroughfare,’ or whatever your reasoning may be.”
“As a risk manager,” Harrington said, “take out the ones that are trip hazards first, and then go from there.”
“There’s some areas that to me it seems more like safety priorities, but it would be good to get input from the rest of the council,” Campoli said.
Parking
Regarding parking permits, the committee discussed but did not settle on several ideas for locations, enforcement and priorities for the purpose of parking management. Initial city discussions on the subject earlier this month focused on managing parking in high-turnover areas near downtown businesses by encouraging long-term parking further away, according to Daily Star archives.
Campoli said the “intended target” for individuals obtaining permits was residents and commuters, but along with Harrington advised against making that a formal requirement.
Mattice said, “I’m thinking these would be: you buy this permit, you are allowed to park in designated areas of designated lots, you do not have your own parcel parking space.”
He added that the most appropriate location for permitted parking would be the least advantageous for shopping. He said the city had received complaints from businesses near the Westcott Lot and Wall Street that large numbers of residents and employees parking there was impacting business.
Campoli pointed out that this system would mean people would pay for less desirable parking while premium parking would remain free. “It almost feels backwards,” she said, “but I know that there’s also a lot of opposition to paid parking. So how do we navigate that piece?”
The group weighed the competing interests of frequent users, like residents and employees, with high-turnover parkers. If the goal is to keep spaces near businesses more available, something like paid parking could be more effective. If the goal is to ensure access for frequent parkers, permitting may be the way to go.
“How do we prioritize those needs?” Campoli asked.
“We got to find what we’re trying to look for,” Harrington later said. “We haven’t done that yet, because there is two, three, four, different ideas out there.”
The committee plans to bring the possibilities back to the full Common Council.