WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Concerns about parking in White River Junction didn’t stop Hartford’s Planning Commission from approving developer Mike Davidson’s plans to construct a five-story building on South Main Street.
The commission voted unanimously last week to approve a 43,600-square-foot mixed-use structure at 132 S. Main St., over the objections of some who say there aren’t enough parking spaces to accommodate existing demand, let alone the 66 apartments proposed for the new building.
However, town officials say they’re committed to alleviating the neighborhood’s parking crunch, with several options actively being studied.
“We can’t have growth in our downtown if we don’t have the infrastructure to support it,” Kim Souza, the Selectboard’s representative to the Planning Commission, said Friday.
Souza, who owns the White River Junction consignment store Revolution, said there’s a strong need for more parking. But there’s also a need to address a regional housing shortage as well, she said.
“We need both. It’s not one or the other,” Souza said.
Hartford’s Selectboard is exploring several strategies to increase parking, according to Town Manager Brannon Godfrey.
The board in June voted to spend $124,400 to design a parking garage on the site of an existing South Main Street parking lot, which is located behind the Barrette Center and former Legion hall.
A month later, officials agreed to price out the purchase and installation of parking meters in hopes that charging for parking could encourage turnover in about 280 spaces downtown.
Godfrey said the town also is working to write an updated parking ordinance. Updates on all three efforts will be discussed at the Selectboard’s Oct. 28 meeting, he said.
Another alternative could be to offer parking outside of downtown and offer a shuttle or encourage people to carpool.
Mark Pippin, who owns the former Howard Johnson’s Restaurant near the VA Medical Center, is mulling such a move. The 1.4-acre lot he purchased about 10 years ago could provide at least 55 spaces, if the town is open to some sort of agreement, he said.
Pippin, a Hartford native, said he’s brought the idea to town officials and the Planning Commission, which may discuss it in the coming months. At very least, he said, the site could offer parking in the short term as Hartford awaits construction of a parking garage or other long-term solution downtown.
While there was plenty of available spaces downtown on Saturday, that’s not always the case, according to Clay McAllister, who was walking his dog on South Main Street.
“You come down here during business hours, it seems pretty packed around here,” he said, adding that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“I think it’s good that they’re having this (parking) issue. It means that commerce is happening, right? A parking problem is indicative of business,” McAllister added.
Davidson’s building proposal nearby includes plans for 48 new parking spaces for tenants. And there are more than 50 spots elsewhere in White River Junction owned by his company Execusuite to pick up additional demand.
Souza, the Selectboard member who ultimately supported the building project, said that while it didn’t meet the town’s parking requirements, the proposal still offered more spaces then other recent developments.
“Comparably, it’s still bringing in a lot more parking,” she said, adding that the building will meet Hartford’s goals of developing White River Junction.
Davidson also characterized the development as part of a long-term vision to bring more housing and vitality to White River Junction.
“Folks will be able live, work and recreate in a sustainable structure that repurposes a vacant downtown lot,” he wrote in an email on Wednesday.
If all goes well, construction could start in late winter and be complete in about a year, Davidson said.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.