Players Music Mart (126 E. Main St.) owners Randy Oesch and Rick Whitney formally announced that they will begin the process of seeking a new location for their Main Street music shop.
Their decision was made on the heels of the March 31 Monroe City Council meeting, during which the council voted 4-to-3 to convert the downtown parking configuration from front-oriented, angle-in parking to a combination of angle parking and parallel parking. The parking alterations will be made in conjunction with the Main Street Plaza project, which is slated to begin construction this week.
Losing parking spaces
Roughly 75 minutes of testimony was heard during the March 31 public hearing, from business owners and residents who were opposed to converting a portion of Main Street to parallel parking. Oesch and Whitney were dismayed that the mixed-use parking option passed, despite the opposition.
"The No. 1 rule of business is you don't take parking away, period, for any reason at all,GÇ¥ Whitney said. "When people speak and they don't listen, that's when I start having a real problem.GÇ¥
Business owners were primarily concerned over the loss of parking stalls that would come with any conversion to parallel parking, and the increased traffic congestion resulting from drivers attempting to parallel park. City staff estimated that converting one side to parallel decreases the number of parking stalls by six spaces.
But Whitney feels that the six-stall calculation is a kind estimate and one that is entirely dependent on the extent of a driver's ability to parallel park.
In pursuit of downtown revitalization, the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and several members of the Monroe City Council see the upcoming construction project as an opportunity to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment in the downtown area and feel that losing a few parking spaces will be worth the long-term rewards. The city is receiving just under $860,000 in grant funding to add pervious concrete and parking pavers to the downtown area. The project is being viewed as an opportunity to refresh the area and try something different.
The mixed-use parking option allows for wider sidewalks, resulting in opportunities for outdoor dining and outdoor merchandise displays.
"We really just want to see a viable, exciting downtown that's pedestrian friendly, that has lots of opportunities for people to go shopping and to spend time and, hopefully, in that time, spend money as well,GÇ¥ said Monroe Chamber of Commerce Director Una Wirkebau during the public hearing.
Too much, too soon
But Whitney and Oesch feel like the decision to alter the parking plan was made far too hastily, without fully taking into consideration-á that they city has tried parallel parking in the 1980s, without success. They worry that it may be too much, too soon.
Whitney, who has extensive background in commercial construction, indicated that he feels there are several ways to create-á downtown revitalization without making drastic changes to the parking arrangement. The city could offer grants to help facilitate storefront improvements, and they could also zero in on code enforcement, which Whitney believes, is seriously lacking in the downtown area.
They could also implement an oversight committee such as a design review board, to help ensure that downtown businesses fulfill very specific criteria, maintain their properties and stay consistent with an overall vision for the historic downtown area. The board could regulate the types of business allowed to open downtown, to keep the environment oriented toward retail establishments.
"It's a slow and steady process, and it works,GÇ¥ Whitney said.
Code enforcement, Whitney said, is a key issue. Adequate code enforcement could help bolster Main Street's aesthetic appeal by encouraging cleaner storefronts, appealing signage and additional retail and restaurant establishments.
Per Washington state RCW, smoking is prohibited within 25 feet of public places, but to Whitney and Oesch, there doesn't seem to be anyone enforcing the law. Their customers frequently walk through cigarette smoke to get in the door. They would prefer that the city spend money on code enforcement, regular street maintenance and increased lighting, as opposed to a new parking configuration.
A new location
Players Music Mart, which has been open since September 2013, carries musical instruments for purchase and rental, lessons, gifts, supplies, accessories and apparel. The decision to move has been a difficult one for Whitney and Oesch, who invested a significant amount of money making improvements to the storefront when they moved in two years ago.
Formerly a clothing store called Cinderella's Closet, substantial alterations were made to accommodate the vision they had for Players Music Mart.
Oesch and Whitney had a previous experience with parking that they admit has influenced their level of concern over losing parking spaces in Monroe. They owned a tavern in Sultan called the Pastime, and when two parking spaces were lost to accommodate a much-needed traffic modification, their business took a hit.
"I understood why they took them; it made sense,GÇ¥ Oesch said. "But that took $75 a day from us.GÇ¥
They fear that the decision in Monroe will have similar implications and wish the city would have given more consideration to the business owners.
"We're the ones that were brave enough to come down hereGǪ. We were doing just fine,Gǥ Whitney said. "Now, we're just in a panic.Gǥ
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