GREENFIELD — Heavy traffic, irate drivers and a swarm of cars roaming downtown looking for parking.
That’s the situation many are predicting as the new county courthouse comes closer to completion at Main and Hope streets this fall. The $73.8 million, 104,000-square-foot building is set to open in October after a thorough interior gutting, renovation and addition to the 1935 courthouse. But three-story addition has been built over what had been the courthouse parking lot.
The project took out 80 spaces and includes just 20 parking spaces for judges, staff and handicapped users. It is expected that the courthouse will have 157 employees.
State court and building officials say the courts normally do not provide parking in densely populated areas such as downtown Greenfield, and were counting on the town to build a parking garage on Olive Street when the courthouse was designed to help accommodate its employees and users. The parking garage, most recently envisioned as having 358 spaces on four levels, has not yet come to fruition, however, as Greenfield has repeatedly been turned down for state funding for the project and is in the process of reapplying for a MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant.
In the meantime, there are 100 spaces in the town lot next to the courthouse, but about 20 YMCA employees already buy permits to park there, according to YMCA Director Bob Sunderland. He said five Y employees also pay to park in the lot next to the library, which is already full with permit parking. Parking on side streets near the courthouse is for residents only during business hours. The Y is located just east of the courthouse, and the library across the street.
“The traffic congestion on east Main Street is going to be bumper to bumper, people are going to get angry because they can’t find a place to park, they’re late for court, they’re late for jury duty — I just see a pretty uncomfortable situation developing,” warned Sunderland.
He added the Mental Health Department at 13 Prospect St., a state office a block from the courthouse, has 50 employees with 20 of its own parking spaces, and also needs parking for patients who come in every hour for counseling.
For the Y, the situation is looking not only inconvenient, but potentially expensive.
Sunderland said to prevent nonmembers from parking in the YMCA parking lot, he may have to hire guards to watch the lot 35 hours a week for an annual cost of $24,000. Another potential financial effect, he said, is the members that may leave the Y if they can’t find nearby parking.
“A good portion of our members come in the morning. If our two lots in the back fill, we tell our members there’s available parking in the town lots or on Main Street. That might not be true come October,” he said. “If you’re a senior citizen with a mobility issue or a parent with small children and sidewalks are snowy and icy, that could be an issue.”
Other downtown businesses owners share Sunderland’s concern.
John Howland, president and CEO of Greenfield Savings Bank at the corner of Main and Federal streets, said the situation will put a tremendous strain on parking in the area and for businesses like his that have parking lots, it’s going to become burdensome.
“I worry too about the collective mental health of the community in terms of the frustration people are going to experience when they realize they have nowhere to park,” he said.
At the temporary courthouse on Munson Street, employees are also feeling apprehensive.
Register of Probate John Merrigan said people have been asking a lot of questions about the status of the parking garage, and said he’s had some discussion with property owners nearby to see what might be available in terms of a temporary solution. Merrigan was on the local advisory committee that helped shape the state’s courthouse plan.
“Some have said that they may be able to accommodate a handful of cars in a couple different locations, so they’re thinking about it at this point of what they can help alleviate some of the stress when we come back,” he said.
Greenfield has applied for state money four times to help pay for the construction of a parking garage on Olive Street, and has been turned down each time. The town recently submitted a 25 percent design plan to MassWorks with the hopes of getting a grant to help cover the $10 million project.
Mayor William Martin said he’s hoping to hear back before July 1 and if approved, the town would start construction in September or October. However, the project would take about a year to complete, according to the town’s Director of Planning and Development Eric Twarog.
In the meantime, Martin said he doesn’t see any solution to the parking issue in the medium term.
“It is going to be chaotic, after we see and view what’s going on, we may have to develop one-way streets,” he said, adding the Parking and Traffic Commission has been reviewing the situation for several months.
Harry Spence, court administrator of the Massachusetts Trial Court, said normally courthouses do not automatically provide parking for employees. However, he said the state takes into account the needs of employees and litigants so that the courthouses will not have a difficult time operating because of parking congestion.
“We were certainly very much aware of the need for parking in the vicinity of the courthouse,” he said of the planning and design process. “At the time, there was hope and expectation that a parking garage would be built by the city.”
Merrigan said there has been some discussion among courthouse staff about scheduling as a way to reduce demand for parking. The new building will house all five court department operations, as well as the Law Library and the Registry of Deeds, and each court has its own busy times.
“Mondays are typically busy for District Court because of the weekend, sometimes there are a lot of people that are brought in that are in lockup from the weekend, and along come their families,” he said.
Motion sessions, which are held a couple of times per month are also very busy, Merrigan said, along with Housing Court every Friday.
“And then obviously we have the court users that come in every day. Depending on what kind of day it is, it could be a couple hundred spots that are needed between the court users and employees,” he said.
Spence said the state will also look into delaying the consolidation of the Juvenile Court and Housing Court in the new building as a way to reduce the demand for parking. Those courts have been housed in leased space farther west on Main Street.
“One of the things we can do is seek to extend the lease for at least a period of time until the new garage comes online,” he said.
Across the street at Hope and Olive, owner Jim Zaccara said the construction of the courthouse has already impacted his business. At times, he said all of the street parking has been taken up by idling trucks delivering materials or equipment, blocking the entrance to the restaurant.
“There are plenty of parking spaces in town. I know that my customers could park several blocks away and walk, but (many) are elderly or business people on lunch breaks,” he said. “These folks are going to choose to dine at one of the many local restaurants that have their own parking lots.”
Zaccara said he’s been very patient throughout the process with the hopes of a built-in lunch crowd when the court returns, but after speaking with the Parking and Traffic Commission and other local business owners, he’s no longer as optimistic.
“The numbers of parking spaces don’t really add up. A hundred spaces for over 200 people in the court? No space for jurors, never mind my customers,” he said. “The garage plan, if it is going forward, will be a long way off. We will be anticipating a few more years of serious struggle.”
He suggested the town designate parking in the area behind Wilson’s Department Store for courthouse employees, leaving the spaces on Hope Street available for jurors and court guests, as well as his customers. Before the construction began there was parking on both sides of Hope Street, although the courthouse side was typically monopolized by police and other court officers.
Sunderland noted that no other business would be allowed to build a 104,000-square-foot building in the middle of town without sufficient parking for its employees or customers.
“We’re not in an area of downtown Boston or Somerville or Brockton where a private garage owner will come in and put up a parking garage because everyone needs a parking space. It’s not likely to happen in Greenfield,” Martin added. “We think it’s extremely unfair to expect the taxpayers of Greenfield to provide this parking for all of the courthouse employees and its clients.”
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