Summary
Council discussed a business owner's request to add diagonal parking on Broadway near Hometown Bakery, with staff and council weighing firefighter access, removal of parallel parking, and the possibility of a city-owned parking lot.
Tooele City staff presented a proposal to add diagonal parking on the west side of Broadway from Elm to Vine near Hometown Bakery during the Aug. 20 City Council work meeting, John Perez, Economic Development Director, told the council.
Perez said the area falls in the city's MU-8 (Mixed Use Broadway) zoning, which does not require on-street parking and leaves such decisions to council discretion. City engineer measurements in the staff packet showed diagonal parking on the west side could be added beginning after an existing driveway and extending to Vine, with about 27 feet of roadway remaining under the proposed configuration.
Council members raised public-safety concerns after staff said Fire Chief McCoy had expressed reservations about the spacing. One councilmember summarized the concern: if parking filled both sides of the street, there may not be adequate room for a fire truck to deploy outriggers and stabilize to fight a fire. The council discussed alternatives including removing parallel parking on the opposite side, converting a nearby vacant parcel into a municipal parking lot (Tooele City owns several parcels in the area), or doing a time-limited trial.
Councilmembers suggested convening the three affected property owners and exploring a city-provided parking solution given the area's historic-district status and the city's role in sponsoring events there. No formal action or vote was taken; the discussion closed with staff directed to further consult property owners and analyze parking-lot options.
Why it matters: parking changes affect pedestrian access, business visibility and emergency response. The council's choice will affect customers for small businesses such as Hometown Bakery, adjacent retailers and nightlife establishments on Broadway.
Next steps: staff to reach out to property owners and to study a municipal parking-lot option; no ordinance or binding action was adopted at the meeting.
