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Merchants and residents urge Taos council to pause paid parking; staff had recommended delay
Summary
Multiple downtown merchants spoke at the public comment period asking the town to keep paid parking paused and to convene a public workshop and stakeholder committee. Staff earlier in the meeting recommended delaying paid parking implementation until August or September to allow additional outreach and preparation.
Merchants and residents at the May 27 Taos Town Council meeting urged elected officials to keep a proposed paid parking program on hold and to conduct more community engagement before implementation.
Yvonne Swartz, owner of Artemesia Artwear, told council she spoke for downtown merchants and the Taos Merchant Group and asked the town to “continue to pause on paid parking until a more comprehensive plan, once shaped by community input, can be developed.” She said downtown business conditions have not recovered from a combination of post‑COVID effects, lengthy road construction, a slow winter and other economic pressures; Swartz said merchants reported “a 30 to 60% drop in sales last year.”
Julie Lake, another long‑time area resident and merchant, criticized the parking hardware’s appearance and the town’s lack of follow‑up public meetings after an October 2024 forum. Lake said the kiosks are visually intrusive in the historic district and asked the council to form a stakeholder committee that includes merchants and residents.
Multiple speakers raised technical and access concerns: merchants and property owners reported that downloading parking apps can take 30 minutes for some users, that cell service is inconsistent downtown, and that some pay stations in other cities have been associated with credit‑card fraud. Speakers also said kiosks do not accept cash, a limitation they said would exclude customers without cards.
At the start of the meeting, Councilor Fernandez asked that parking be scheduled for a future workshop; Town Manager Martinez and other staff recommended delaying implementation until August or September to allow more work on logistics and community engagement. The mayor and council acknowledged the request and said additional public meetings and a workshop will be scheduled.
Speakers asked for a public forum, the formation of a parking committee that includes merchants and residents, and clearer data on where parking revenues would be spent. Several merchants said they are not opposed to parking per se but want a plan designed collaboratively and that considers design, accessibility for elders, and enforcement of long‑term employee parking.
Council did not take final action on a parking ordinance or implementation schedule at the May 27 meeting; staff and council members said they will schedule additional meetings and invited merchants to participate.
