Saratoga Springs summer parking fee spurs local business concerns

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (WRGB) — Be prepared to pay for parking in Saratoga Springs this summer – the new plan is set to go in effect next month.

“It’s focused on the parking garages. We have no funding dedicated to their maintenance or safety,” said Todd Shimkus, President of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, during a Power & Politics interview with CBS 6’s Tom Eschen.

But the parking woes are affecting more than just visitors, with some downtown business owners expressing concerns over the permit process and what a parking fee will do to their customers.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Saratoga Springs city council approves tourist paid parking proposal

Parking will still be free for residents, business owners, and their employees, but they’ll need a permit.

Permit registration for residents has already begun. Residents can access the online form by visiting the Saratoga Springs permit registration portal.

Residents will need to show proof of residency and have no outstanding parking tickets.

The registration process is a bit more complicated for businesses and their employees.

“We don’t know how long it’ll take. I do believe two people from each business will be assigned as contact points and they’ll be able to submit the permits, cancel, and sign up for permits. So that’s step one in the process, and I don’t know how long that’ll take,” said Heidi West, owner of Lifestyles of Saratoga and Caroline & Main, both shops located on Broadway.

She said the registration process for businesses won’t start until after the Belmont Stakes.

“We don’t have an actual date for [registration] so that doesn’t allow us to plan very well, so that has been frustrating from a business perspective,” said West.

Other business owners fear the parking fee will spoil shopping downtown.

“I know our shop in Burlington has had similar experiences with paid parking. It was detrimental to businesses on Church Street,” said Barbara Braidwood, cofounder of Saratoga Olive Oil Co.

“They instituted paid parking, they put in meters, they beefed up patrol in the area and gave out more parking tickets, and that definitely deterred people from shopping on Church Street,” Braidwood added.

The city’s parking fee program will only be in effect during the summer months.