Keene business owner urges free parking during downtown construction

The Finance, Organization and Personnel Committee is scheduled to take up the request at its Sept. 10 meeting.

A downtown Keene business owner is asking city leaders to consider making parking free in selected areas while the downtown infrastructure project continues.

Warren Steinberg, who co-owns The Perch at 82 Main St., submitted the idea in a letter to City Council on Thursday night. His plan would create a rotating free-parking zone that shifts as construction work changes location, with the goal of keeping shoppers and diners coming downtown despite the disruption.

The Finance, Organization and Personnel Committee is scheduled to take up the request at its Sept. 10 meeting.

Steinberg said in a Friday message that the work is affecting nearby merchants even when it is not directly outside his own storefront. He said he wants the area’s businesses to stay healthy so downtown remains active once the project is finished.

The request follows growing concern among local business owners about the effect of construction on foot traffic. Dorrie Masten, who owns The Pour House on Central Square, recently used social media to say the roadwork in front of her bar is already hurting sales. She also pushed for free parking as a way to help downtown businesses keep customers during the project.

Masten said she and other owners had intended to bring a similar request to the city, though Steinberg submitted his proposal first.

The work underway is a 3-year, $28 million project that will replace aging underground pipes beneath Central Square and Main Street and include some changes above ground. The first phase centers on pipe replacement under Central Square and is expected to be finished in November.

Parking revenue is an important part of the city’s budget, since the department depends on money from tickets, meters and permits. That income is projected to decline in the 2027 fiscal year budget, and officials also expect the downtown construction project to reduce it further.

Those funds help cover maintenance and repairs for city parking lots and garages, along with the department’s daily operating expenses.

Mark Rebillard, chair of the Keene Downtown Group, did not directly address Steinberg’s suggestion, but said the organization is looking for practical ways to support downtown commerce during the construction period. He said the group is focused on ideas that are workable and help create a stronger downtown economy.