Goshen City EID discusses DORA proposal, parking pilot and downtown streetscape work

Members of the Goshen City Economic Improvement District met and approved the minutes before turning to a series of downtown items, including ownership questions in the art alley, streetscape details for planters, a proposed pilot for short-term customer parking and a DORA (designated outdoor refreshment area) proposal that organizers plan to take to the city council.

The meeting opened with a procedural motion to approve the minutes, which members moved, seconded and accepted. Participants then reported on follow-up research into which party owns installations and materials in the downtown art alley; one member said earlier assumptions that the EID owned all installations may have been incorrect and the group will await confirmation from the mayor’s office and the Board of Public Works before removing or relocating items.

On streetscape work, participants discussed the city’s vault-repair program and how it affects planter strategy. A city detail cited in the meeting described downtown sidewalks as roughly 15 feet wide, with about 5 feet transition from the building, a roughly 5-foot pedestrian walkway and space near the curb identified as the primary target area for planters. Members agreed that permanent planters would be preferable after infrastructure work is complete and that temporary planters can remain until then.

Members reported that a grant application was submitted to pilot an "Eat Row" demonstration on Lincoln Avenue between Maine and Fifth; the temporary scheme would bump the sidewalk into parking spaces to allow outdoor seating and would be used to test interest and logistics. The application was described as recently turned in and organizers said they will coordinate with adjacent property owners and congregations that border or fall within proposed boundaries.

Parking was a sustained topic. One member proposed designating one or two 15-minute customer parking spots per block to ease short-term access for downtown retailers. The group discussed enforcement cost concerns and the difficulty of using parking attendants or ticketing; members suggested taking the request to the traffic commission and testing a pilot with willing businesses. Participants also noted issues with employee parking taking customer spaces, food-truck congestion in back lots and confusing signage at the First Source Bank lot.

City staff and participants described upcoming capital work that will add parking: the Jefferson Street project is expected to add spaces behind the old DNT building, and demolition on Washington Street has created a smaller lot the city intends to expand; the speaker said that parking improvements for that lot are "on the docket for 27" as stated in the transcript.

The group spent substantial time on a proposed DORA, referencing examples from other communities and saying vendors, special cups/stickers and an application process would be developed. Organizers reported about 95% support in a survey of local businesses. Members discussed setting hours and boundaries, limiting late-night operation, and obtaining buy-in from churches and other stakeholders who would be inside proposed boundaries; they also said they would draft an ordinance with exclusion or suspension mechanisms should problems arise. No ordinance was adopted at the meeting; organizers said they hope to present a DORA proposal to council later this month.

Other items included coordination on a holiday open-house with the chamber, follow-up on snow-removal costs, and recurring trash around decorative downtown containers (members agreed to contact the service provider). The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn.

Actions at the meeting were procedural: the minutes were approved and the meeting was adjourned. No formal ordinances, resolutions or vote tallies were recorded in the transcript for substantive policy items.

What’s next: organizers said they will confirm ownership of art-alley installations with the mayor’s office and the Board of Public Works, follow up on snow-removal costs, work with businesses on any 15-minute-parking pilot, and finalize a DORA proposal for a forthcoming council presentation.