A moratorium on parking-meter enforcement is starting to crowd downtown businesses providing carryout services.
"Two spots for us is not optimal," said Erin Nystrom, an owner of Potbelly Sandwich Shops.
The shops have two parking spots dedicated for pick-up food orders, but Nystrom said as many as six cars can be waiting for orders outside the First Avenue Southwest location during peak lunch hours.
"We need this to keep our business open," Nystrom said, adding that two Rochester Potbelly shops are projected to lose a combined $70,000 to $100,000 a month while dine-in service is banned.
However, the 30-day moratorium on parking-meter enforcement has led to an uptick in daylong parking along the street, even at designated pickup spots.
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The overall increase in parking at meters throughout downtown wasn’t immediate after the city announced the change on March 23, following the declaration of a city emergency.
Pasquale Presa said he noticed the problem on Fifth Street Southwest on Tuesday, when all the spaces near his business, Pasquale’s Neighborhood Pizzeria, were full and didn’t provide a chance for customers to park near his front door.
"I have seniors trying to come in, and we’re trying to do curbside, and I have people parking all over the place," he said, adding that the cars didn’t move throughout the day.
The city responded to the emerging concerns Wednesday, stating parking enforcement staff will ticket vehicles parked at meters that have been signed or bagged for curbside pickup and takeout from local restaurants.
"We have asked businesses to begin reporting any violations and will work with the parking enforcement team to ticket any violators going forward," Police Chief James Franklin said in announcing the revised practice.
In addition to tickets, towing is an option, but only when meters are covered with bags marked "tow away zone." Not all bags carry those markings.
When the city announced the decision to end parking enforcement at downtown meters, city officials encouraged people to limit use to short-term stays.
Nystrom said she appreciated the quick response to a request she sent to Rochester City Council members but said she’d like to see dedicated spaces increased to support businesses that remain open while adopting practices to serve people safely.
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"We need a lifeline," she said.
Sarah Osland, a city communications and engagement coordinator, said the city is currently providing two designated "carryout" spaces per business for consistency.
"If it is determined that number should be increased, we would need to evaluate to ensure additional spaces can be made available to everyone," she said.
Presa, who had a pair of spaces designated for short stays before the need to change business practices, didn’t receive new carryout spaces when they were added for other businesses.
However, following a complaint he posted online Tuesday, he said the city quickly added the two spaces near his business.
Still, he said people parking downtown also must realize the parking spaces impact the businesses near them.
"We should all be self conscious of businesses that are trying to continue to feed us, even in these tough times," Presa said, noting his business is down 60 percent. "We are doing all we can to try to feed people."
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