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Marion salon owner tells council downtown parking is hurting businesses
Summary
A business owner at 1105 8th Avenue told the council that persistent parking shortages from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. are costing customers and urged the city to share plans to support local businesses amid new development.
Jessica, who identified herself as the owner of a salon at 1105 8th Avenue, told the council at the second public forum that parking in the Uptown area has deteriorated and that potential development at the former library site will worsen the problem.
"I've been there for 14 years now, and parking has been an issue the whole time," Jessica said. "There's nowhere to park from 7AM until 7PM, Monday to Saturday." She told the council customers regularly cite parking as a reason to skip local businesses in favor of drive-through alternatives and expressed concern that standalone businesses will be pushed out as new buildings go up.
The mayor told Jessica the matter was not on the agenda and invited her to speak to staff after the meeting for more information about the city's plans to address parking. City staff did not provide a council-level response during the meeting.
The comment highlights downtown parking as a recurrent concern for long-standing businesses as Marion pursues infill and redevelopment projects.
