Parking called vital to Great Falls project
AUBURN – Calling a new 400-space parking garage key to the city’s future, councilors took the first step Monday.
“I cannot see the city of Auburn moving forward without making this kind of investment,” said Councilor Marcel Bilodeau.
Councilors agreed on first reading Monday to sell $5 million in bonds to pay for the design, engineering and construction of the garage. They’ll take the matter up again in March.
If approved, the city will begin construction in about a year and finish in the fall. It’s planned to be built on city-owned land north of the Esplanade in Great Falls Plaza.
The city has about 812 parking spaces in Great Falls Plaza now, but most of those are privately owned or already committed to the Esplanade, the Hilton Garden Inn or other businesses. There’s little room for downtown visitors and customers and no room for new employees and new traffic, said Mark Adams, assistant city manager.
“It’s fair to say that the opportunity for new investment would be limited or not occur at all, without more parking,” Adams said.
And parking pressure is increasing. Developer Tom Platz plans to begin work on a new office building in the plaza next fall and Bangor Savings Bank plans to move 50 employees into that building when it’s completed. Those employees will need some of these spaces, Adams said.
Until last year, investment downtown had stalled, said Councilor Kelly Matzen. There were no new developments downtown between the mid-1980s and the Hilton Garden Inn opening in 2003, he said.
“It was fallow,” he said. “We need this kind of investment to turn it around.”
Not everyone agreed. Both Councilors Bob Mennealy and Belinda Gerry voted against the debt. Mennealy said the time wasn’t right.
“I don’t see the point in building this until Mr. Platz begins work on his office,” Mennealy said.
Gerry said she was worried about increasing debt. The city has many budget issues, from employees to looming state cuts in aid.
“I can’t, in good conscience, do this and not know what’s going to happen to next year’s budget,” she said. “I feel this would force our mill rate out of orbit.”
Donna Rowell of 95 Monroe St. agreed. The city should settle labor disputes with the fire and police unions before building anything, she said.
Adams said additional tax revenues collected from the hotel and the new Platz building should cover annual debt payments and the costs of running the garage. Those revenues, an estimated $330,000 per year will be collected in a special downtown development TIF district.
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