On June 20, 2024, The City of Wilmington, Ohio Administration removed 10 parking spots on Main Street without the approval of City Council as required by City Code (Section 305.03).
The area affected was between South Street and Walnut Street by the Clinton County Courthouse where 21 reverse-angle parking spots were converted into 11 parallel parking spots.
At the City Council meeting on June 20, 2024, Mayor Pat Haley stated, “I made a mistake… It was my understanding that I would have the authority to paint those [and] change those spots.”
Haley continued by explaining that he believed the changes would be minor and also address some of the concerns he has heard regarding safety and usability in that area.
“It won’t affect the number of cars [but] by only 2 or 3 numbers, so I don’t think you’ll see much of a difference there, but we feel like it will be safer… that’s why we did it,” stated Haley.
The parking spots were originally set to reverse-angle parking after recommendations of a 2018 ‘Downtown Wilmington Pedestrian Improvement Plan’ conducted by the Clinton County Regional Planning Committee (CCRPC) in partnership with the City of Wilmington, Main Street Wilmington, and Public Workshops. The study found that, “reverse-angle parking… is safer for drivers and easier than… parallel parking,” and went on to explain the additional safety benefits:
Removes the difficulty of backing out into oncoming traffic
Increases the visibility of motorists and cyclists when pulling out of a space
Positions the passengers of the vehicle to exit towards the sidewalk rather than the roadway
To rectify the situation, current Mayor Pat Haley attempted to gain retroactive approval from City Council on July 18, 2024, but failed because the legislation included additional changes on North South Street that would remove trees and sections of sidewalk to gain 4 parking spots.
Dissenting Council Member Josh Schlabach explained that he first wanted to hear from businesses on North South Street before making any changes, stating, “I reached out to Ole Town [Tavern] prior to the meeting and they hadn’t known anything about it.”
For more information, or to share your thoughts and concerns, view public recordings of past City Council Meetings on the City of Wilmington's website or contact a City Council Member.
First Ward, Joshua Schlabach: jschlabach@wilmingtonoh.org | (937) 725-7280
Second Ward, Michael Snarr: msnarr@wilmingtonoh.org | (937) 699-0308
Third Ward, Don Wells: dwells@wilmingtonoh.org | (937) 725-2604
Fourth Ward, Bob Osborn: bosborn@wilmingtonoh.org | (513) 478-8867
At-Large, Jamie Knowles: jknowles@wilmingtonoh.org | (937) 725-9321
At-Large, David Nanstad: dnanstad@wilmingtonoh.org | (937) 537-9904
At-Large, Kelly Tolliver: ktolliver@wilmingtonoh.org | (937) 218-1832
President, Matt Purkey: mpurkey@wilmingtonoh.org | (937) 302-6092