More and more people are finding reasons to visit downtown Troy. To stay ahead of the game, Pike County Chamber of Commerce’s Downtown Committee recently surveyed available parking for the area.
“We just wanted to show that our downtown is viable,” said Melissa Sanders, a member of the committee. “We want our citizens, residents, tourists and commuters to come down and enjoy what the downtown has to offer.”
The committee found that the Square has 88 public parking spaces. Add a block, and there are an additional 111 public parking spaces and 72 private spaces. Another 316 parking spaces are available within a two-block radius of the Square. There are also 62 additional private spaces.
“That doesn’t even account for parking beyond the railroad tracks,” Sanders said.
The results were based on aerial photography. Sanders counted the available parking visible on the photograph.
She said ample free parking would make patrons feel welcome and finding that parking within a two-block radius was unheard of in many cities.
“A lot of downtowns have those little meters that you have to worry about. But we don’t want to burden the patrons that are coming down to visit,” said Sanders.
“This is the heart of our community.”
To free up additional spaces during business hours, committee members plan to reach out to local businesses and ask that employees park outside the Square.
The committee plans to continue monitoring downtown traffic, which will help attract new businesses to the area.
The Downtown Committee’s next meeting will be Wednesday, May 7, at Sips on the Square at 8 a.m.