Stevensville council holds first reading on no-parking ordinance for 515 Main amid safety concerns

The Stevensville Town Council took up a first reading of Ordinance 172 on Jan. 9, a measure that would establish a no-parking zone at and around 515 Main Street in front of Avea Coffee, citing repeated near‑collisions and limited sight lines around a sharp curve.

The issue drew multiple speakers during the public hearing and discussion, including business owners and council members. Eric Wilson, who identified himself as an owner of Avea Coffee, said the change directly affects his business and sought clarity about what the ordinance would change versus the current parking layout. "I'm affected by — my wife and I are the owners of the Avea Coffee, and it's directly in front of us," Wilson said during public comment.

Council members and staff said the ordinance is intended to reduce pedestrian and vehicle conflicts where a curve on Main Street limits drivers' ability to see doors opening and people crossing. Council discussion referenced guidance from the Montana Department of Transportation that requires a clear, measured segment for no‑parking language rather than vague descriptions. One council member said the state advised the town to define the ordinance’s start and end points precisely, not by landmarks.

The public and council also discussed potential mitigations to preserve parking for the coffee shop and other nearby businesses. Suggestions included opening parking behind the building near the trees, working with the museum next to the site to allow patron parking during peak hours, and creating additional spaces on the south side of the coffee building. Council members reported the town’s park board recommended opening spaces in the rear by the trees but said that would not fully replace on‑street spaces.

Several participants noted uncertainty about ownership of the small triangular parcel known as Lane Park adjacent to the curve. One councilor said the town could not locate documentation transferring the triangular piece from the state to the town and that parts of the triangle remain state owned per existing paperwork. A councilor read paperwork into the record showing the triangle is owned in part by the state and part is a dedicated roadway per the subdivision plat; however, a full deed transfer to the town was not located in staff files.

Property owner Lana (full name not provided in testimony) was contacted about allowing temporary public parking on an empty lot behind the coffee shop; councilors said Lana currently has not responded (staff said she lives in New Zealand and that email attempts had not yet been answered). Mandy Springer was named in the discussion as the property manager for Avea Coffee.

Councilors noted the parking geometry is asymmetrical: the outside of the curve (Kodiak Jack’s side) has slightly more usable curb length because of curve radius differences; Kodiak Jack had obtained state permission when its parking was established in 2016, council members said. Councilors and the mayor said the intended no‑parking segment is focused on the curve where sight lines are worst, not the entire block.

The ordinance was presented as a first reading. Per town procedure discussed at the meeting, a failure on first reading would end the ordinance; a successful first reading would return it for a second reading at a later meeting. A motion to approve the ordinance was made and seconded; the transcript records the roll call beginning but does not include the complete final tally for the ordinance vote in the excerpted record.

Why it matters: the block of Main Street around 515 poses repeated safety issues, councilors said, including drivers arriving and opening doors where oncoming traffic around the curve cannot see them. The council framed the ordinance as a safety measure balanced against maintaining a viable downtown and said it wants to work with the business owner and the museum to find alternate parking.

Next steps: The ordinance remains under consideration after the first reading; if it passes its first reading according to the town’s ordinance process it will return for a second reading and a final vote. Council staff said they would continue outreach to the property owner about potential temporary parking behind the building and would provide precise mapping and ordinance language for the next meeting.