yes, please make Natick less friendly!

Sounds good to me. $20 is still a really small fine for doing something illegal!

As a downtown merchant, we are pleased to hear about the new fee structure which is consistent with surrounding towns. Over the past several years, many of our customers have complained that they consistently have trouble finding parking. They drive around and around and end up parking several blocks away from where they want to shop or dine. After several years of observance and research, we realized, that many merchants who have numerous employees, park right in front of their businesses and feed the meters ALL DAY long or swap spots because they know there is a two hour limit. The meters are intended for YOU the patrons, to conveniently park in front of the business you want to visit . When the meters are being abused by these merchants, it deters customers from shopping downtown. The crazy thing is, there is plenty of available merchant parking in several locations around downtown that is only a block or two away from where these merchants work. When I approached one of these merchants who does not have the walk in traffic like we do, and asked him if he could not park right in front of our business all day he replied “Your customers need to learn how to walk”! Please readers, ten dollar tickets are just not enough of a deterrent to stop the multitude of offenders. Please join us in our ongoing efforts to open up the meters that have ALWAYS been intended for you “the customer” not “the merchant”.

These are fines not fees. Also, if the merchant parkers feed-and-swap meters then this proposed fine schedule does not affect them.

The people that would be most affected would be incidental parkers who go downtown to run an errand and might consider then staying for lunch or shopping in the stores. A harsh fine will have a two fold effect of disincentivizing those folks from lingering and shopping downtown. First: by causing the shoppers to predispose their downtown visits to be short and fleeting. Second: the aversion to be associated with visiting downtown by tying a punitive fine to the Natick Center experience.

There are better ways of dealing with parking downtown; from both a management standpoint and by way of behavioral science.

I can remember working at the original Natick Mall in the early 1980's, all emplyees of every one of the 60 or so stores (including the anchor stores - Sears and Filenes) were prohibited from parking in the spaces closest to the entrances. The reason was to provide convenience for the holiday shoppers. After all it is the shoppers who create a store's sales. If all store owners and workers take all of the choice parking spaces, people will become frustrated with circling blocks looking for a space and may just "give up" their search and maybe even shop elsewhere. When the municipal lot which used to be located on Middlesex Avenue was torn down due to structural problems, Natick Federal Savings Bank immediately recognized a problem and purchased a vacant lot on Cochituate Road. They paved the lot and created the Natick Federal Savings Bank employees parking lot. Obviously small shop owners do not have the resources that a financial institution has to do something like that. If I owned a business in downtown Natick, you can best be assured that I would want to have every advantage of making a sale to insure that my business would stay open for business. I would not be parking in the "prime" parking spaces, and neither would any employees of mine. Downtown Natick is not that large, the municipal lots that still exist are within a quick walking distance to every business. This is not a political issue, its a matter of customer service for all of the downtown businesses.

It seems to me that parking meters should be for the use customers & not merchants...The proposed increase of fines (from 10 to 20 dollars for illegal parking, makes sense. By doing this it may prevent all day "merchant" parking & allow more convenient customer parking. Harold Averbuck (concerned Natick citizen)

Dave, we had the same rules when I worked at the Mall in the late 60's early 70's.
The downtown parking regulations could/should change enough to make the scoff law folks think twice about parking space abuse.
As a downtown merchant, I'll be happy to cover a parking violation fine for any of my clients who receives a ticket while doing business in my store.

I agree with Mr. Brandt- I will also cover any parking ticket for someone patronizing my store. Many merchants have a jar of quarters and freely distribute them to customers to make shopping a bit easier. I know of few shops in other neighboring towns where you can have two hours of spa services and not have a ticket after a day of pampering. Amy Elizabeth, The Littlest Spa.

The blunt instrument of higher fines does not address the issue of bringing more multiuse shoppers to downtown. The goal should be to encourage people that are going to the library or other specific destination to visit more establishments and walk around downtown. The proposals cited in the article do nothing to encourage a family to explore the stores, eat lunch, meet friends, have a snack and enjoy the downtown. Instead the proposals dictate that a visit must be less than two hours or you will be penalized for overstaying your allotted time. A family should be able to go to the library, drop into Counting Crows, look at paint swatches at Debsan’s, eat lunch, have an ice cream and talk to friends on the Common without fear that this simple visit will be penalized.

A pressing problem that has been identified is employees are taking up the best spaces. As these folks are already finding ways around the current fines, higher fines will not change their actions.

There are better ways of encouraging clients to extend their time downtown while motivating employees to park in appropriate spaces. Higher fines are not the answer and are counterproductive. A system that relies on Mr. Brandt and Ms. Elizabeth paying $20 for their customers to wander the stores downtown is inherently unfair.

C'mon people...THIS IS IMPORTANT! I agree with the statments from the previous merchants We live in a beautiful town, We allI love Natick!!!.However, the ONLY gripe that I have is the lack of respect and consideration from the offending merchants regarding the parking in downtown Natick.I know that I am not alone in my feeling of frustration when I cannot find a space [for hours] to visit my favorite stores! In fact, many times I have just left!!!
If the merchants and their employees who insist on parking in and around their own stores don't realize that they are greatly limiting easier access and availibilty to the local shops....then I vehemently agree that we need to raise the parking fee fine to twenty dollars..a measly increase of only ten dollars. to dissuade the consistent inconsiderate behaviour. Let us all help to bring more prosperity to our wonderful.town!

Yes, this is important. But if the problem is merchant parkers that are dodging fines and time limits, then they will dodge the higher fines. The very people that one wants to entice to downtown, multi-destination shoppers, are going to be the ones that are dissuaded from venturing to Natick Center by higher fines.

Targeted enforcement will accomplish what is needed. Everyone knows who the offenders are, but apparently some form of timidity is opting to implement a plan which will be counterproductive by punishing the customers that are needed to make downtown viable.

Hi all, I'm new in town, just moved to the area from Long Island but hope you don't mind if I put my two cents in. Just wanted to say that the business district of a community is its life blood. Firstly, they provide many needed as well as luxury services. They often employ local residents and pay taxes which helps keep our property taxes down. If people are not encouraged to shop in the downtown area, the result will be stores and businesses closing up. Then you will start to see empty borded up store fronts, which will lead to blight and deterioration in the area. If it ever comes to this point, your property values will decrease dramatically. I have seen this happen in seveal communities on Long Island. Believe me, it was a really sad thing to watch happen. What is my point then? I suggest you support the parking regulations as best as you can and most importantly, frequent the neighborhood stores and businesses. A vibrant down town area is good for us all.
Hope you all enjoy the summer and hope to see you in town.
Fran Levy

What about the employees? We are customers too, we do our banking, buy our coffee, muffin, lunch, get a hair cut, have our drying cleaning done, have our car fixed, buy our insurance here, get what we need at the drugstore or hardware store, pick up a bottle of wine and get takeout for dinner at home, buy flowers for our wives, we do all that in downtown Natick. We contribute to the businesses on a daily business, just because we work here, we do not count as customers? If it was not for the support of employees from the local businesses a lot of businesses would be hurting even more in a tough economy. And no there is not enough parking for people. There is not plenty of parking, if people are driving around looking for a spot there must not be enough parking, it is a simple conclusion. It is the same people who gripe about this situation who offer complaints, but, no real workable solutions. The last time I checked it was public parking, meaning parking for all, merchants, employees, customers, visitors and etc. These parking issues will drive people to the mall and shoppers world where there is no cost to park or worst yet to other towns that have sufficient parking, no meters or more relaxed parking regulations.