Putting Heads Together to Solve Parking in Catonsville

A group of business and community leaders met Tuesday with the Baltimore County Revenue Authority to discuss ways to improve public parking on Frederick Road in downtown Catonsville.

A few weeks ago, the group discussed improvements to Frederick Road with staff at the Maryland State Highway Administration.

The Tuesday meeting focused on having the Baltimore County Revenue Authority create a public parking lot in Catonsville. While studies have found that Catonsville has plenty of parking, it is not readily accessible to the community.

The group, with Wayne Mixdorf, director of parking for the Baltimore County Revenue Authority, looked at the lot beside the Friendly's, which is owned by Catonsville resident Tom Booth.

While the discussion remains preliminary, Mixdorf said there is precedent in the county for a private property owner to lease a parking lot to the county for public parking. In Baltimore County, sometimes the lot has been a lease agreement. Sometimes the lot will be owned by the county. Such lots are already used in Towson and Arbutus, he said.

"It depends on what the community desires and what the businesses are willing to relinquish," Mixdorf said.

The county could also install parking meters that would accept credit cards along Frederick Road--an upgrade from the coin-operated meters that serve as the only public parking on Frederick Road.

Upgrading the meters is probably a better option than installing parking kiosks since many of the meters are installed at lamp posts on Frederick Road and would be difficult to remove.

The group also discussed the parking lot beside Salem Lutheran Church as an option; the church allows many businesses and members of the community to use the lot during the day.

What do you think of these ideas? Tell us in the comments below.