What Would It Take to Create More Parking in The Village? (Poll)

Parking in The Village has been an issue for many business owners and would-be shoppers for a long time; it's not a new issue. However, with the prospect of the Streetscape Project coming into clearer contrast for Village business owners, the issue was again addressed Wednesday night during a Fair Oaks Village Enhancement Committee (FOVEC) meeting.

FOVEC members met Wednesday night for what was planned to be an hour-and-a-half meeting. Items on the agenda were mapped out in five- to 15-minute intervals, going over such topics as the Streetscape Project, the Farmers Market and Fiesta Day just to name a few.

Though most expected to be in and out by 8 p.m., the meeting lasted till about 9 p.m. with more than an hour of the conversation being devoted to the Streetscape Project. Some local business owners voiced heated opposition to some of the planned Village street modifications, including the plan to turn the southern portion of Fair Oaks Boulevard's "triangle" into a right-turn only lane.

However, when the topic of parking came up, no one argued there could be measures taken to improve it. One way suggested was trying to convince business owners and their employees to park in areas not designated for customers, like in employee-only areas. 

There's no doubt parking in The Village is limited, but finding a suitable solution won't be easy and Sacramento Department of Transportation spokesman Dan Regan, who has worked with FOVEC on the Streetscape Project explains it won't be as easy as just purchasing property in an area that is already limited on land in a county that has limited financial resources.

"It would be very difficult," Regan said. "The project itself is limited in scope because there is only so much money for it."

Is there a solution for this issue? Is parking even that big of a deal in The Village? Let us know what you think by voting in our poll. You can also share your thoughts in the comments below.