Northville enforcing timed parking downtown: "It's going to deter people"
Starting on Monday, March 10, the city of Northville is once again stepping up enforcement in timed parking zones.
The city of Northville has not enforced timed parking since 2022 after a Supreme Court decision ruled that chalking tires is unconstitutional in Michigan.
Since then, the city has been looking for an alternative way to enforce timed parking. The city recently purchased an electronic system that allows them to enforce timed parking in Northville. That process began on Monday.
"It turns over spots for our downtown businesses and restaurants. What we find with timed parking is that the biggest violators are the employees downtown," said Northville Police Chief Alan Maciag.
Maciag encourages employees to park in areas with no restrictions, but for business owners like Prudence Kauffman of Dear Prudence and Blackbird, those spaces are limited and inconvenient.
"By the time we get to our lot, all of the all-day parking is taken by all the people who work in the offices. Our employees don't have anywhere to park," Kauffman said.
Kauffman feels this enforcement is only going to discourage people from venturing to Northville.
"It just kind of seems like the city is trying to make money and they're not taking into consideration the small businesses that really rely on customers coming to town. If people are constantly looking at their watch, worried about 'Oh, am I going to get a parking ticket,' they're not going to want to come in the first place. It's going to deter people," said Kauffman.
For others, like Dennis Engerer, whose rehabilitation clinic called Northville Physical Rehabilitation is located off Main Street, they're concerned about what this enforcement will mean for his patients.
"A lot of our patients are here for two, three, sometimes four hours and they've got limited mobility skills. They can't park far away and walk to the clinic. They need to park adjacent to the building. The tighter parking gets, the more restrictive it becomes in anyway is going to certainly impact my business," Engerer said.
For Kauffman, the solution includes more all-day parking and a stop to this enforcement.
"Retail businesses are so important to keep a community thriving, and if they keep throwing roadblocks in our way, we'll have no choice but to leave," Kauffman said.
Enforcement will take place Monday through Friday until 6 p.m. If you're fined, you'll be issued a warning first. If in violation a second time, you will get a paper citation. Maciag says tickets can range from $15 up to $50.
