Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parking And Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Downtown Ferndale restaurant owner warns Woodward parking loss will hurt businesses
Summary
A restaurant owner told the planning commission that bike lanes and nearby development have reduced parking and cited deleted East Side parking figures from DDA reports; the commission encouraged him to share unedited studies with city staff and said staff would consider parking in future development discussions.
Michael Henness, owner of a restaurant on Woodward Avenue, told the City of Ferndale Planning Commission during public comment that recent changes to parking and ongoing development have already reduced his business and that earlier parking reports omitted East Side figures.
“My number 1 complaint my customers have had over the last 25 years has been parking, and those conversations have doubled. We've already seen a 20% drop in business,” Henness said. He said a Vester parking lot historically turned over multiple times on Friday and Saturday nights and that deleted data in public reports obscured the East Side parking deficit.
Henness asked the commission to consider parking impacts before approving further development and offered to share unedited copies of earlier parking reports. Chair Foster responded, “If you could, if you wanna send that study to me or to Melissa and we can forward it to the rest of the planning commission.”
During the exchange another speaker (unidentified in the transcript) noted that the City Council at its Monday meeting approved converting Vester from the alley to Bermuda into a one‑way street and adding diagonal parking on one side that will increase spaces by 14. The planning commission chair said staff would look into options and keep parking and future developments in mind.
The comments focused on three operational concerns raised by the business owner: a loss of vehicle parking spaces, no clearly designated safe drop‑off spots leading some drivers to use the bike lane as a short‑term drop area, and reduced convenience for carryout customers. Chair Foster said the city will accept the owner’s parking analysis and forward it to planning staff for consideration in future planning and development discussions. No formal action or vote on policy was taken during the meeting.
