Parking spots for Colonial condo units approved by City Council

LACONIA — Reserved parking for residents of the condominiums being developed as part of the Colonial Theatre project is now assured, following a vote by the City Council.

The council voted 4-1 to approve a long-term lease for 18 spaces in two city parking lots downtown.

The parking arrangement was first disclosed two years ago when hotelier Rusty McLear’s committed to invest more than $1 million to build housing units on the second and third floors of the building.

This past September, however, some downtown businesses and property owners raised objections, arguing the spaces that had been ear-marked to be set aside would take up short-term parking spots which were seen as critical to attracting people to do business downtown. Those concerns caused the council to review the situation.

Under the amended plan approved Monday the reserved spaces will be located away from the prime short-term parking spots. Ten of the spaces will be situated in the northeast corner of the City Hall parking lot on Beacon Street East, with the remaining eight on the south side of the parking lot between Main and Pleasant streets.

Ward 6 Councilor Tony Felch, who was the only councilor to vote against the plan, argued that all 18 spaces should be in the City Hall lot.

The length of the lease which was approved is 50 years, instead of 99 years as initially proposed.

Several councilors said more spaces should be set aside in the City Hall for shorter-term parking which would encourage more people to use the lot behind St. Joseph Church for all-day parking.