Hanover EDA approves about $23,000 for engineering sketches to study shared downtown parking

The City of Hanover Economic Development Authority voted Oct. 24 to authorize consulting engineering sketches — estimated at about $23,000 — to study possible shared parking behind several downtown properties near River Road and Mill Pond Trail.

Administrator Jennifer Nash told the authority that a few properties across from the River Inn have recently become available but that the owner has not listed them on commercial sites or prepared standard marketing information such as photos, square footage, zoning classifications or parking inventories. Nash said staff has fielded multiple inquiries but that potential users lack the resources or appetite to undertake site planning without clearer information about parking availability.

Staff recommended using consulting engineering services to produce sketches showing whether gated paved areas behind the buildings could provide shared parking and what physical or regulatory challenges would need to be resolved. The sketches were presented to the board as a tool to move stalled discussions forward; staff noted remaining questions would include who would build and own any parking and how contractual access would be structured.

The estimate provided for the sketch work was about $23,000, billed at the consultant’s hourly rates. MaryAnn Hallstein moved to approve the consulting services; Jessica Johnson seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.

Next steps: staff will proceed with the sketches and bring findings back to the EDA for further discussion and potential follow-up actions, such as defining ownership and parking agreements.