Farmington Council Reviews Masonic Hall Parking Agreement

Farmington officials and Farmington Masonic Lodge 151 are close to an agreement that would allow public parking in a lot to the north of the Masonic Hall on Farmington Road.

But a few sticking points remain in an agreement City Council members reviewed at a special meeting Tuesday night.

City Manager Vince Pastue reviewed the draft, which he said he received from his contacts with the Masons the same day. The Farmington Downtown Development Authority agreed to pay $10,000 to pave and stripe the lot, in exchange for the parking agreement. The Masons will still own the lot, he said.

The idea is to offer downtown employees the opportunity to park in the lot, which would move them away from on-street parking and the lot north of Grand River and east of Farmington Road.

"There are some things, right off the bat, that are problematic," Pastue said, noting first that the agreement term was set at five years. He said 10 years is needed "to amortize the DDA's investment."

In addition, the Masons submitted an expanded list of events for which they would need exclusive rights to the lot.

"The list has grown substantially," Mayor Tom Buck said. "I think they may not be able to do all these. ... The employers can't handle the inconsistency." 

Pastue was also concerned about a stipulation that the lot would be closed from 2 a.m.-6 a.m., with violators ticketed and/or towed. While he acknowledged the Masons were concerned about vehicles being parked overnight or longer, he said, "from a PR standpoint, there is nothing worse than parking in a municipal lot and having your car towed."

"It is a way of each day clearing the lot," council member Michael Wiggins said.

Council member David Wright argued the agreement would not solve the problem of people not knowing where to park in downtown Farmington. By reserving a public lot for downtown employees, he said the city continues to give "mixed signals to people who are not here a lot."

Buck pointed out this was just part of a "multifaceted approach" to parking. Pastue noted that allowing parking on both sides of Liberty Street and encouraging parking in the City Hall lot after regular business hours are also under consideration.

"All of these little parking things will not solve the problem," he said. "They help."

After going over a few other points, Pastue asked City Council members for the authorization to work out the issues with his contacts from the lodge. The agreement will be brought back to officials at their Sept. 19 meeting.