Tooele City has hired a company to install five parking stalls on the west side of main street near the post office. The parking stalls will be finished by June.
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Loading...Contractors have been busy installing more parking on Tooele’s Main Street.
Work began last month to install five new parking spots on the west side of Main Street in Tooele between Vine Street and the U.S. Post Office. The work should be completed by June.
The Tooele City Council approved the parking area in September 2022 during one of their meetings. City officials approved a contract with Beck Construction and Excavation, a South Jordan based company to complete the project.
Money for the project, which will cost around $177,000, will come from Tooele County Transportation Sales Tax grant funds, according to Jared Stewart, Tooele City’s economic development director.
“The city decided to apply for these funds at the petition of business owners in the downtown area,” Stewart explained. “Approximately 10 business owners signed a letter about a year ago asking the city for more parking options downtown. Some of these businesses do not have rear parking access. Patrons will be able to more easily access and shop at these stores.”
Because the city had local funding, the Utah Department of Transportation was in favor of the idea.
When the parking area is complete, drivers downtown will have to slow down and pay attention, according to Stewart.
“As always, we encourage drivers to use caution,” he said.
Business owners in the area are excited about the parking area.
“The biggest complaint we hear is the lack of parking downtown,” Jon Gossett, owner of the Fallen Sky Stone boutique on main street said. “Parking is essential to our small business. If you look at the history of downtown, when businesses flourished, there was ample parking. Today you see a lack of parking and small businesses. There is a direct correlation. We need to continue these efforts to bring parking back, so that Tooele’s downtown can once again be the heart of our town.”
“We expect the parking will be permanent and that it will add to the success and accessibility of downtown storefronts,” Stewart added. “We encourage residents to come and shop locally.”
