By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

Some Berlin residents have concerns regarding the 10-year lease agreement inked recently for a new parking lot.

The Mayor and Council recently announced a lease deal with a private property owner to establish a municipal parking lot in town. Officials have said it’s a move to grow the downtown business district and address a capacity shortage for parking.

According to a Town of Berlin press release issued on Jan. 8, the parking lot will be located on a parcel of property owned by the Esham family at the corner of West Street and Washington Street. Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), also known as the COVID-19 Stimulus Package, will fund the first two years of the lease. The municipality will work to implement a “sustainable funding plan” for the remainder of the arrangement. The cost to transition the empty lot into parking spaces has not been determined.

Per the lease, which commenced on Jan. 15, rent for years one, two, and three will be $30,000. At the commencement of the arrangement, rent for the first two years, a total of $60,000, was paid through ARPA funds. Rent for years four and five will be $35,000, and rent for years six through 10 will increase 3% annually.

The deal clarifies the tenant, in this case, the Town of Berlin, is to cover the premises with gravel, crush-and-run, or a “similar type of surface.” The agreement stipulates the “tenant is not permitted to pave or blacktop the leased premises.”

“This new municipal parking lot will significantly increase parking capacity for our downtown business district and provide much-needed overflow parking during town events,” Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall said in the press release. “Based on conversations with our downtown businesses and the Berlin Chamber of Commerce, we know that a lack of accessible parking has limited the ability of our businesses to grow and thrive. This investment will help strengthen an already vibrant business district and encourage further growth and reinvestment in our community.”

At the Berlin Mayor and Council’s Monday, Jan. 13 meeting, Tyndall emphasized the town is aware the proposed lot will be constructed in a residential area.

“We don’t want to degrade the neighborhood in any way,” the mayor said.

The mayor assured additional visitor spaces would solve a supply challenge, as the town could not offer parking near the downtown area. This problem often caps business revenue, limits event attendance, and can lead to safety concerns when cars searching for a parking space block residential driveways.

Some residents responded with negative feedback upon the announcement at the Jan. 13 meeting.

Along with the visual change outside his home, West Street resident Brad Parks, an environmental engineer by trade, said that his hesitations lie with the potential for stormwater runoff from the possible gravel usage. Tyndall maintained the town knows the flooding challenges, particularly on West Street, and that stormwater engineers will help vet the project.

“We want to make sure whatever we do does not add to [stormwater runoff],” Tyndall said. “I’m not an engineer, but I am pretty sure we legally can’t make an exemption for ourselves, nor would we want to. The same vetting process we ask everyone else to do, we will do ourselves.”

Berlin Planning Commission member Erich Pfeffer, who lives across from the vacant lot on West Street, also spoke at last week’s meeting. The resident said that environmental concerns must be considered throughout the lot’s construction, referring to people he has spoken to who are “up in arms” over the lot being transitioned into a parking lot.

“Doing things like, ‘Oh, we’ll get the horticulture department in there to make it pretty,’ it’s not going to be enough,” he said. “It’s a big piece of property. Noise pollution, sound pollution. All those types of pollution need to be taken into account. Hopefully, it will be an open process.”

Pfeffer added that because the space would most likely be pay-to-park, it would continue to lead to street parking, which the council noted creates safety concerns for emergency vehicle access and hurts downtown businesses due to a lack of ample spots.

Councilmember Jay Knerr responded that the new parking lot will be used primarily for events when the town’s existing lots and parking spaces fill up quickly.

“During events, people want to park close to the event, and this lot provides that,” he said. “People don’t really question paying for parking.”

The new parking lot’s mission is to address a shortage of spaces, impacting visitors and residents alike. Tyndall noted that the town’s goal is to “test the waters” and build something that works. The 10-year lease allows Berlin to break the arrangement, stipulating a termination penalty of $60,000 at its sole discretion. The mayor added that, hopefully, the municipality could purchase the property at the end of the initial deal. This would give the town more control to add amenities and “change things around.”

Berlin leaders hope the parking lot will address an ongoing challenge. The Mayor and Council emphasized that they would appreciate feedback and input from community members as the initiative gets up and running.

“A non-option was to not do anything for parking in the Town of Berlin,” Councilmember Steve Green said after hearing the concerns. “It is something I hear about every day. Since I have been on the council, next to the cost of living, it is the biggest issue I’ve heard … It was time for a bold move. I have had businesses communicate with me and neighbors communicate with me about the annoyance and the public safety concerns.”