Campaigner says free parking could be key to downtown Belleville’s success

Tim Schaly, who lives and works in Belleville, is calling for two-hour free parking downtown to attract shoppers and spur economic growth in the city’s struggling core. Photo by Brendan Burke, QNet News

By Brendan Burke 

BELLEVILLE – When Tim Schaly drives through Belleville’s newly revamped downtown he sees vacant storefronts, deserted sidewalks and crumbling buildings – not a “revitalized” community core. But he sees something else, too.

“I see potential.”

Potential, Schaly says, for the area to be the thriving city centre it should be. But according to the Belleville resident, the downtown’s success faces a major roadblock.

A rise in Belleville’s storefront vacancies could be countered by the introduction of free and accessible parking, according to Schaly. Photo by Brendan Burke

“The fact that you have to pay for parking … it’s a chore to look for a spot. It’s just another reason for someone not to get in their car and go downtown,” he told QNet News. 

It’s this “hassle” of fees and limited space for parking, he says, that prompted him to launch an initiative to bring permanent – and accessible – two-hour free parking to downtown Belleville.

“My campaign is free and ample parking. Because even if you make it free it’s still a chore to find the space – that’s also a frustration,” he said. 

With migrating stores and scarce foot traffic, Schaly says downtown businesses face an uphill battle – like a “salmon swimming upstream” – but free parking would give the area the tools it needs to remain competitive as consumer habits evolve and big-box stores multiply. If the city centre mirrored the free-of-charge parking offered at local retail centres such as the Quinte Mall, Schaly says, more shoppers would make the trip downtown.

“If people can breeze in there, get what they need to get easily without having to look for change or think where to park, then maybe they’ll consider making that decision to go downtown instead of … the mall or somewhere with ample parking,” he said. The current parking situation “is just one less reason to stay away from the downtown.”

To free up space to make room for the “ample” parking his campaign is pushing for, Schaly suggests repurposing the land on which old, vacant buildings sit.

The buildings – which he says would not include any with heritage value – could be torn down to make way for parking, he said.

“To me, it would make a lot of sense if the city were to buy some of these lots and convert them into free parking,” he said, adding that the associated costs could be offset by the revenue coming to the city from the new casino.

To drum up interest in his effort to rejuvenate Belleville’s downtown, Schaly is asking community members to reach out via email (downtownbellevillefreeparking@gmail.com) in a statement of support. After reaching his goal of 1,000 messages, Schaly says, he will take a proposal to City Hall in the hope of getting a cost analysis for the project green-lit.

Ryan Williams, owner of Williams Hotels in Belleville, sent of one the first messages received by Schaly in a show of support. Williams says the campaign is a breath of fresh air amid negative downtown reports.

“It’s a great, positive idea,” he told QNet News. “I think downtown needs more of those ideas, that way of thinking, because it does need a lot of groundswell and community support to get downtown up and moving again.”

With 35 vacant storefronts lining the downtown strip, Williams says the implementation of free parking would kickstart economic momentum where the city’s revitalization phase hasn’t – despite the “great” infrastructure work that’s been done.

“It’s about generating traffic. Once you get more traffic, then it’s easier to generate more business. But you have to start doing that. And it’s going to take a lot of people and a lot of hours,” he said. 

Schaly says old and vacant buildings – like the former Belleville Intelligencer headquarters – could be bought, torn down and converted into parking space by the city. Photo by Brendan Burke

But not everyone is on board with Schaly’s plan.

Richard Belanger, owner of Front Street’s Scalliwag Toys, says that while it sounds good, the prospect of free parking is a short-sighted solution for a complex problem.

“If there’s free parking, someone will have to pay for it. Either the city will get less money or the merchants will have to pay for it,” he told QNet News. “More free parking is never a bad idea, but at what cost? And who’s going to pay for it?”

Pointing to the fact that Front Street already offers one-hour free parking, Belanger says he’s uncertain if adding an extra hour would solve the downtown woes.

“Parking, in my opinion, is one of those things people latch onto when they don’t know of anything else. It’s such an easy solution, supposedly, because it’s right there … I don’t think free parking is necessarily the issue.” 

Schaly, who says he wants to hear from both supporters and opponents of his idea, acknowledged that the project’s implementation must be a concerted, city-wide effort.

“If city taxpayers are going to fund free parking then that might be one less road that gets repaired.  So I don’t want this to be just my idea. I want this to be kind of a movement.”