City Council Regular Meeting

REGULAR MEETING OCTOBER 5, 2023 VOLUME 26 PAGE497 weekend should be suspended. Until I hear that a change has been made, I will recommend to family and friends to look for a tourist friendly town. Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Edwards of235 Greenville Ave, Arden, NC said my wife and I were thinking ofbuying a home in Hendersonville, NC due to your lovely downtown area with Shops and restaurants. We are now thinking since you changed your Parking situation that it has hurt Downtown business. Some have closed and the price to park is ridiculous. It had the old downtown look and now it's a mess. We were talking to a Police officer on the street and we complained to him and he said we have complaints every day and that it has hurt downtown & small business. So now we have decided to stay in the Fletcher area where it's not as expensive and easy to park. I suggest you think about what you have done to Downtown Hendersonville. It used to be a great place to walk and shop. Rhonda Becker of20 Westwood Place, Asheville, NC said It would be beneficial to the both parents and staff ofSt. Gerard House to allow public street parking without 2-hour delay. Marlene Contreras-Montero said I support the elimination oftwo-hour parking restrictions along Oakland St. Our company does not have enough parking and it will be helpful to have street parking so everyone can find a place to park. Delaney Brown of620 Oakland Avenue, Hendersonville, NC said I support the elimination of two-hour parking restrictions along Oakland St - we provide much needed services to autistic children and teenagers at St Gerard House and are unable to park close to our establishment. There are no shortage ofspaces for locals to park, in fact the entire street is empty most days. Two hour parking is unnecessary and should be accessible for longer periods oftime. Thank you. Josh Coe of112B Owenby Lane, Black Mountain, NC said I support the elimination oftwo-hour parking restrictions along Oakland St. Dawn Winter of727 Oakland Street, Hendersonville, NC said Parking via the St. Gerard House (SGH) is limited and does not provide adequate number ofspaces available for all employees (due to limited lot sizes and the number ofpersons employed by SGH). Therefore, employees must park on the streets surrounding the SGH. By employees having to monitor their parking situation, services to our clients could be affected in a negative fashion. Employees must interrupt their responsibilities in order to avoid parking fees or face continual fees. Given that this is related to work (and not a personal preference as to parking), this is unfair to SGH employees. Emma Holmes of705 Oakland Street, Hendersonville, NC said Having the 2 hour parking limit removed would be helpful for SGH employees. We already have limited parking in a small parking lot and ifwe can't find parking there we have to park in a lot mainly used by high schoolers. 95% ofthe parking spaces along our street go unused throughout the day, and when they are being used its only for a brieftime. It would make our lives much easier and our parking situation much more manageable throughout the week. All ofthe businesses and homes along our street have their own parking situations with more than enough parking. Mike Blake of 611 Oakland Street, Hendersonville, NC said it seems this would allow someone to park their car or a stolen car in this area for an indefinite amount oftime. My recommendation would be that there would be a 12 hour maximum a car could remain in the same space. Desiree Grubb of300 Long Shoals Rd, Apt 13K, Arden, NC said I support the elimination of time-limited parking on Oakland St. between Bearcat Blvd and 6th. I work with children with autism on that street and I have to move my car every 2 hours to avoid getting a ticket. There is always ample space available along the street as most ofthe businesses have parking in their back lots that is utilized by patrons needing parking. Gretchen Lawrence was in attendance and spoke to Council but also sent this email that said we are a medical office building, ABC Podiatry PLLC, that has been present on Oakland Street for  M c..,, � -< ....... 00 ....(i