WCAC to survey West Concord businesses on parking, coordinate with town economic outreach

The West Concord Advisory Committee agreed to pursue business outreach after collecting candidate survey questions to better understand parking patterns and preferences in the neighborhood. Members will gather suggested questions, combine similar items, and select five final questions for committee members to deliver to businesses after the holidays.

The chair said the goal is to "bolster our ability to recommend better signage in West Concord" and to present a proposal to the Select Board supported by business feedback. "My hypothesis is that people who visit West Concord businesses don't understand where to park, and they are stressed out about when the parking spots on the street are filled," the chair said, explaining why signage might be a near-term remedy.

Members recommended coordinating with the Concord development director and the Economic Vitality Committee to avoid duplicating town outreach. Wendy suggested contacting Mimi Graney (the town's development director for business) and Economic Vitality Committee chair Mike Lawson; a committee member noted that the Economic Vitality Committee is planning outreach on commercial parking relief and related bylaw work, which may overlap with WCAC's efforts.

Committee members also agreed on a pragmatic approach to selecting questions: side-by-side comparison of submitted questions to cluster similar items, then upvoting preferred phrasings. Members expected direct business interviews to take place after the holiday period and asked the chair to report back after contacting town staff.