Spring City Borough Council voted 3-2 on Monday to adopt an ordinance extending the 90-minute parking limit on part of Main Street, a change officials said is meant to keep spaces open for downtown shoppers and diners.
Under Ordinance 590, the borough will revise Section 500-67F to apply the 90-minute limit from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Sunday, on the east side of Main Street. Borough Solicitor Matt Hovey said the ordinance amendment had been advertised and was ready for a vote.
Council President Don Shaner, Vice President Chris Yocum, and Councilor Rick Pennypacker voted in favor of the change. Councilors Dylan Hutchinson, who attended by phone, and Matt Handley voted against. Two of the seven council members, Sara Woll and Brandon Woll, were not present in any capacity during Monday's meeting.
The ordinance follows a proposal Mayor Adam Alberico presented at the council's July meeting. Alberico said residents returning from work often park on Main Street in the late afternoon, knowing the restriction ends at 6 p.m., which reduces available spaces for customers of downtown businesses.
"People are coming home from work, they're parking on Main Street at 4:30 knowing that at 6 o'clock it's open parking," Alberico said in July.
The new regulations apply to the area of Main Street that runs north from the former National Bank of Spring City building to Tuned Up Brewery, near the corner of Yost Avenue. The west side of the street, which includes The Gem Music Hall and Three Brothers Grill, will remain unchanged, keeping the 6 p.m. cutoff there. The east side, which includes Punch Buggy Brewing Company, Wild Blooms Florals, Alisan Road Mercantile, and L&W Group Printing, carries the extended limit.
At the July meeting, Alberico said he had spoken with most landlords on the affected side and that a 9 p.m. cutoff was generally agreed upon. He noted property owners would be asked to direct tenants to use any available parking behind their buildings.
The mayor had also requested a 30-day grace period after the ordinance takes effect. After Monday's meeting, officials confirmed the borough will honor that grace period.
