Businesses surprised by new parking rules

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, February 12, 2002

Monday morning, business owners and residents living on portions of West Front Street and First Avenue in Albert Lea discovered that they had lost their street-side parking.

Tuesday, February 12, 2002

Monday morning, business owners and residents living on portions of West Front Street and First Avenue in Albert Lea discovered that they had lost their street-side parking. Without warning for most people, no-parking signs were installed by city staff working under contract for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) on both sides of West Front from Broadway to Highway 69, and on First Avenue from Front Street to West Main.

Email newsletter signup

The parking ban will remain in effect until the viaduct bridge replacement and road resurfacing projects on West Main are completed. According to city officials, a grace period is in effect for the no parking areas until next Monday, and illegally parked vehicles will only receive warnings until then.

Tim Christianson, owner of Christianson Plumbing and Heating on Front Street, said the parking ban will make conducting business more difficult. He said he had noticed city crews working in the area, installing poles, but hadn’t paid that much attention to it until he noticed the signs on Monday.

&uot;It will be a little tough for us. All of our shipping comes through the doors on Front Street and our customers are used to parking on the street,&uot; Christianson said.

Yesterday, some customers were already parking on the sidewalk.

Christianson said the parking ban seems reasonable to him, because of the road construction on West Main and the expected increase in traffic on Front Street, but the lack of notification is what creates the most difficulties.

&uot;Ninety percent of our product is located on the Front Street side of our building. It’s hard to adjust with so little warning,&uot; he said.

The business has a parking lot located behind the building, but most of the doors face Front Street. Christianson plans on checking into the possibility of loading zone for his service vehicles and product deliveries.

Although Sibley Elementary School will not be affected by the temporary no-parking zone this spring, no parking will be allowed on that part of Front as soon as school gets out. The decision to hold off on extending the temporary parking restrictions to that part of the street now was based on the fact that many parents use Front Street to drop off and pick up their children, and some school buses drop students at that location.

If the parking restrictions continue into the 2002-2003 school year, school officials haven’t discussed what they would do.

The Albert Lea Tribune is located on Front Street and First Avenue and will also be affected by the parking restrictions. Customers are asked to park in either the parking lot in the back of the building, off of First Avenue, or in the side parking lot, off of Front Street.