The city of Binghamton recently secured nearly $500,000 in federal funding for a State Street renovation project. The funding will go toward new pavement, lighting, landscaping and the construction of bike lanes on State, Susquehanna and Hawley streets.
On the whole, these efforts will help to revitalize the heart of Downtown, which is home to many local businesses, students and Binghamton natives. One aspect of the State Street revitalization project however, is eliciting more negative reactions. A plan to remodel the Washington Street Mall into a parking lot has been swept under the radar and into this plan.
There’s a state of parking emergency going on in Binghamton. Thomas Ellis, co-owner of Ellis Furniture, argues increased parking will bring a much-needed economic boost to local businesses (his business is conveniently located next to the proposed lot). But paving over one of the city’s few open courtyards to construct a mere 11 parking spaces will do little to enhance the shopping experience in Binghamton. There are already plans to demolish one of the multiple parking garages Downtown and erect a larger one in its stead. There’s no point in encroaching into the courtyard to develop a meager handful of more spots.
There are preferable ways to redevelop the space. The Washington Street Mall, a pedestrian courtyard students may recognize from its proximity to the Downtown bus stop at the corner of Court and Washington, isn’t exactly a sight to behold. The courtyard is lined with vacant boarded-up buildings. A “Walk of Fame” honoring famous Binghamton locals harkens back to happier, more prosperous days. Many residents complain that the courtyard is plagued by loiterers and panhandlers. The construction of new light fixtures, green lawns and the planting of trees will make the courtyard more inviting for pedestrians and businesses alike.
Perhaps the projected $336,000 needed to finance the two-phase parking lot construction could be put to use as an incentive for businesses to open shop in the empty store spaces bordering the courtyard.
At Wednesday’s City Council meeting, residents complained that city administrators acted illegally in their decision to proceed with the project, as it was not approved by the Commission on Architecture and Urban Design. Regardless of the legality of the action, lawmakers should be responsive to the will of those they serve and reconsider the plan. In the fight to curtail urban blight, parking lots like these are only band-aids. We want trees, benches and flowers. The city of Binghamton can do better.