Downtown Danville, like so many small cities like it, was all the rage in the 1920s. But as the mall craze of the 80s and 90s drew customers away from downtown, small businesses were forced to shutter.
Nowadays, downtown Danville is once again a thriving center of commerce and family entertainment. But with the many different events the city hosts throughout the year, including Potterfest and weekly concerts all summer long, the need for parking places has also increased.
“When I took over, I was getting calls weekly and and sometimes multiple times a week from business owners complaining because other business owners were parking downtown in front of their businesses, and then also other people, especially those who were going to the courthouse, were coming down and parking all day in parking spots, which meant that customers, particularly older customers, could not park directly in front of the businesses they wished to patronize,” says Danville Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr.
In response to those early complaints, Mayor Williams says, he reached out to the director of the city’s Public Works Department and sought their advice. An ordinance had already been on the books, Mayor Williams learned, one that would prohibit downtown parking of more than two hours. All that needed to happen was the enforcement of that ordinance.
At first, Williams says, the public wasn’t very happy with their parking tickets, but the business owners were very happy because that allowed increased traffic to their shops and it allowed for people to park directly in front of their businesses.
Over time, however, as more and more businesses have rented or bought spaces downtown, more traffic from their customers has made apparent the need for an updated parking arrangement.
For Michael Branham of Vermilion River Beer Company, a bar on the corner of Vermilion and North Streets, the 2-hour parking limit impacts both his customers and the musicians who come to entertain bar patrons.
“Right now I have musicians at lunch. They park, unload, set up, and will perform for two hours. So I have to always kind of watch out to make sure that they don’t get ticketed,” says Branham. “When you get away from the courthouse, I don’t see the need for the two-hour parking enforcement. It’s a hassle to our customers.”
Triena Billips, owner of Healthy Food Prep, has already received a parking ticket and her shop — in the building that previously housed Lainey’s Ice Cream Shop — has only been open for a few weeks.
“I feel like it would be convenient if at least the people that are running the businesses down here would be able to have a spot where they can park that’s on the street,” says Billips, who was surprised to have received the ticket at all. “One of the street workers had to explain to me the parking rules. I haven’t seen any signs.”
Apparently, even paying for a monthly permit isn’t enough to protect business owners from being ticketed for overstaying the two-hour limit.
“I’ve gotten tickets in my permitted parking space, with my permit in the window before,” says Macy Davis, an employee who works downtown. Davis has been collecting the parking tickets she’s received over the past year — more than 50 — and is even planning to make an art project out of them.
Other business owners have had to adapt their business hours, sometimes daily, to work around that of other places, like the Fischer Theatre.
“When the Fischer is open, I don’t get customers, so I usually just close up shop,” says Gesiele Mockabee, owner of Jill’s Wig Boutique. “Because my customers want to pull up and come in, not go find somewhere to park and walk down here. That’s not happening.”
Kendred Tillotson, owner of Requite Tattoo on North Street, says he has been working alongside other business owners downtown to come up with a plan that can be changed as time goes on.
“Say you have a perfect plan and you implement it right now. Well, in two or three years, again, you’re going to need a different plan, of course,” says Tillotson, who has previously gone to the city to request an updated parking system.
In response to requests from Tillotson and other members of DDI — Downtown Danville, Inc., an organization of downtown business owners that aims “to promote a vibrant business, residential and entertainment district while serving as a catalyst for economic, social and cultural enrichment” — the City of Danville hired a consulting group to help them look into the issue of parking. They are anticipating the full report from that group any day now, says Mayor Williams.
“We want people to be able to come downtown and shop and enjoy themselves. So we are going to be working with DDI, with a couple of building owners and a couple of business representatives, to hopefully, in the next couple of months, update our parking ordinance.”
After Thanksgiving, the city lifts the two-hour ban in order to encourage holiday shopping, so no change is expected before then.
“Our goal is by the beginning of next year to be able to implement an updated [parking] ordinance,” says Mayor Williams.
As far as how the parking situation would change, business owners and customers alike may not get exactly what they want, but there will be some clear improvements.
“It will likely look like two-hour parking on Vermilion Street still, but then moving paid parking to the lot on Hazel Street and Walnut Street, which is right now primarily occupied by business owners that lease space from the city,” says Mayor Williams. “So we will likely move them to further out in the parking lot so those leased spaces open up. Then we would open up longer term parking.”
With the new plan, people could elect to park further from the shops in the newly opened lots if they plan to stay downtown longer.
“I’m excited and thankful to work with DDI, with the building owners and the business owners to get a resolution that works for everyone. We all want a thriving vibrant downtown, it’s just we’ve got to work through hiccups to make that happen,” Mayor Williams says.
For Tillotson, it’s good to see the city move forward on this issue.
“Just knowing they are doing something will help. I think all the leadership now in all these different organizations that are Danville-focused have a similar mindset. Everyone has a similar vision, but it’s just how,” Tillotson says.