It appears the Oxford Village Council is interested in potentially purchasing 43 downtown parking spaces from the township to ensure they remain available for public use.
‘We need parking downtown,? said Councilwoman Sue Bossardet. ‘I think it would be foolish of us to give up those 43 spots.?
Last week, council decided it will meet in closed session on Tuesday, Nov. 11 in order to formulate a proposal to purchase the 23,526-square-foot (0.54 acre) parking area located behind the Oxford Veterans Memorial Civic Center at 28 N. Washington St.
‘I, for one, think it’s very important that the village retain that as public parking,? Bossardet said.
Both the veterans building and the parking lot are owned by the township. Township officials are planning to sell both, but they decided to give the village first crack at buying the parking lot.
‘I’d rather see it stay in public hands,? said township Supervisor Bill Dunn. ‘Myself, I would entertain almost any offer ? reasonable offer.?
He noted he’s willing to consider financing options as well.
Dunn believes the parking is worth much more than the $56,000 appraisal the township received. To him, that’s ‘not even close? to the real value.
‘Historically, the village puts a $6,000 per stall price on a parking spot, so I think that’s a bit closer to the value,? he said.
According to the village zoning ordinance, if a property in the C-1 district (downtown) cannot be developed in a way that provides the required amount of off-street parking, the owner has the option of paying the village $6,000 for each parking space that it’s lacking.
Those in-lieu-of fees are supposed to go into a parking improvement fund which the village can use to expand public parking by acquiring land, demolishing existing structures and constructing spaces.
Based on this ordinance, the township’s 43 spaces would be worth $258,000.
But in a memo to council, village Manager Joe Young pointed out these are not brand new parking spaces.
He explained the current lot ‘is in need of major maintenance and resurfacing,? so this ‘diminishes the current value significantly.?
Councilman Bryan Cloutier believes it’s in everyone’s best interest for the village to pursue this potential acquisition because those parking spaces are ‘rather critical to the downtown business district.?
‘Parking is at a premium,? he said. ‘I would hate to see it fall into private hands and become something of a nightmare for everybody involved.?
‘Everybody, whether you live in the village or you live in the township proper, is an Oxford resident and everybody uses the downtown for some purpose or another,? Cloutier noted.
Bossardet asked Dunn if there’s any chance the township would be willing to share in the cost or contribute something toward the purchase.
‘That’s an interesting question. I will present that to the township board,? Dunn replied. ‘Myself, I believe the township has an interest in the downtown. Downtown and the village are part of the township. I would consider that type of offer.?
But the supervisor reminded council he’s only one vote on the seven-member board.
Local developer Chuck Schneider, who’s expressed an interest in purchasing both the veterans building and parking lot for private development purposes, chimed in with a bit of historical trivia.
He told council the village originally bought the parking lot from a private party in 1983, then turned around and sold it to the township for use in conjunction with a senior center.
‘Your generosity back then, hopefully, has some impact on what you pay for it now,? Schneider said.