7-14-15
Satellite View Cleveland Square, Google Earth
(Cleveland)- The Cleveland City Council wants to explore ways to improve downtown parking around the square. During Monday night council meeting Cleveland Police Chief John Foster said he was asked to assess the situation and he told the council members that since he has been here the past 18 years parking on the square has been an issue.
He told the council that the city has spent lots of money to upgrade the downtown area, but the biggest problem is employees parking in front of the businesses.
Councilman Bradley Greene said that’s one of the major drawbacks that prospective business people tell him that keeps them from opening a business, parking around the square.
Chief Foster said, there are places these employees and business owners can park away from the square. He told the council, “ I went up there a few minutes ago, before I came to the council meeting, I road around the square behind all the buildings back there and there is adequate places for people to park behind those buildings.”
Foster shared with the council that during his study of the situation he discovered that there are sick people who can’t get to the drug store because of the lack of parking.
Foster said, “ we’ve heard from business people that they want the square up there to be shops and businesses where people will stop and shop, that’s not going to happen if they don’t have a place to park.”
My employees have been required to park “Off-Square” for 16 years now. THANK YOU Cleveland City Council for pushing forward on this problem and PLEASE put some teeth into the resolution!
-Carl Dann
Chair-Elect, White County Chamber of Commerce
Owner, Smoky Mountain Trader
I’ve had a business on the square in Dahlonega for the last 24 years. This has been an issue for a least that long. We now have a three are parking printed on each parking space. Problem we really don’t have an officer to write tickets. They are using a code enforce person to do this. Our problem are the students at the college parking along with employee. We do have free unlimited parking off the square just need more.
I worked for years to get someone anyone to help with this problem. Welcome to this century and good luck getting this parking problem resolved. Forty years too late.
They had better get this problem resolved prior to the bypass opening. People will need a reason to take that exit off 129 south to go into Cleveland. Our square will not invite tourists to take that exit at this current time.