Rock Hall Councilman Olin “Butch” Price wants to kill a 30-year-old zoning regulation that requires businesses on Main Street to provide off-street parking if they want to expand — or have to rebuild after a catastrophic event.
“None of the [businesses] have any parking,” Price said at Thursday’s council meeting. “They depend solely on the parking on Main Street.” He said any business that would have to rebuild would be “hampered” by the existing regulations.
Main Street in Rock Hall, March 15, 2014
Price successfully won a motion by the town council on Thursday to have the Rock Hall Planning Commission put the parking regulations on the chopping block at the April 9 meeting.
He said no business currently operating on Main Street would ever qualify for a building permit unless the law is eliminated.
Town Manager Ron Fithian agreed with Price and said there is an abundance of parking in Rock Hall at both ends of Main Street – at the Villages and behind the old Rock Hall Fire House.
“There’s more parking available in Rock Hall right now for Main Street than in my life time,” Fithian said.
Price added that the Tram also brings a lot of people to Main Street, which mitigates any potential for parking congestion.
In the video below, Price and the council discuss eliminating the old parking ordinance. Price also spoke with the Spy on Saturday in front of the Kitchen Restaurant on Main Street. Check back in a few minutes if the video is unavailable.
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