The workforce of Park City, including those who toil on Main Street, is the backbone of the community’s resort-driven economy. The workers have earned well-deserved praise for their fortitude in recent years, moving from the shutdowns of the early months of the pandemic to the crowds of the most recent winter.
But we are concerned about a perk for those who work in the Main Street area that is now under discussion. There is talk about the Historic Park City Alliance, a business group, asking City Hall to turn the flagpole lot on Swede Alley into worker-only parking during the upcoming winter. No decisions have been made, but the mayor and Park City Council appear ready to discuss the topic shortly.
Everyone understands parking in the Main Street core is at a premium. Lines of cars circling Main Street and Swede Alley looking for a spot are common during the ski season. Why, then, would Park City leaders agree to restrict a lot a block off Main Street? The spots in the flagpole lot would be taken out of the mix for the people who are headed to Main Street to shop, dine or for entertainment – the ones who are spending the money that keeps the workers employed.
We also envision the likelihood of such a change to the flagpole lot encouraging more traffic in the Main Street area, as employees attempt to find a spot there instead of perhaps taking a bus or parking in a park-and-ride lot to get to work.
Moreover, setting aside parking in the flagpole lot for workers could be construed as a City Hall subsidy for the Main Street business community. It should be up to the businesses, rather than the taxpayers, to work through the employee-parking issues. After all, worker parking at the location is in the best interest of the Main Street businesses.
The Main Street workforce, as well as the workers throughout the Park City area, are preparing for the opening of the ski season, now just a few weeks away. They should prepare to find somewhere to park other than the flagpole lot on the public’s dime.