PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Frustrations boiled over during a community meeting in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia on Wednesday night, where residents pushed back against a proposed parking plan and ultimately prompted officials to withdraw it.
The meeting, held inside a neighborhood church, was intended to give the public a chance to weigh in on parking changes proposed by the Fishtown Business Improvement District, or BID.
The plan called for establishing three-hour parking limits on certain blocks of Front Street and Frankford and Girard avenues, where no restrictions currently exist, with residential permit holders exempt.
BID officials said the goal was to increase turnover and support local businesses.
The discussion quickly turned contentious, devolving into shouting as residents expressed frustration over the neighborhood’s ongoing parking challenges.
“Fishtown is the hottest neighborhood, and developers keep continuing to build these apartment buildings with no parking,” resident Michelle Claffey said.
Some attendees said the proposed limits could push more vehicles onto nearby residential streets.
“I’m not concerned about the businesses. I’m sorry, that’s how I feel,” resident Jackie McKnight said. She added, “I’m just worried about, I’m a senior citizen, I come home, I want a parking spot at least within a block. I can’t be walking the streets late at night.”
Other residents argued they did not receive enough notice about the meeting or sufficient information about the proposal.
The backlash led the BID to pull the plan entirely.
“It is obvious there is not enough information and there’s enough objection, so we are not going to pursue this at this time,” said Marc Collazzo, executive director of the Fishtown BID.
BID officials had previously asked the Philadelphia Parking Authority to study the area and identify blocks with low turnover and high occupancy as part of the effort to address parking concerns.
Not all residents opposed the proposed changes.
Claffey said, “This program is working on the lower half of Frankford Avenue now for the business, and I support it for the upper half here.”
The withdrawal of this latest proposal leaves Fishtown continuing to face the ongoing challenges related to its growth and limited parking availability.
“It’s Fishtown, we don’t have enough parking so we have to figure out how to use it as best we can, and there’s different ideas on how to do that,” said John Scott, President of the Fishtown Neighbors Association.
People at the meeting completed informal vote cards on the proposal, and officials said the responses were overwhelmingly opposed.
Click here to read more on the proposal.
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