BUFFALO (WBEN - Brendan Keany) - Many Buffalonians are unhappy with the Common Council's decision to pass a parking rate increase last week.
Dennis Lesniak is the owner of Quarter Deck Athletics in Buffalo, and he wrote an opinionated op-ed for the Buffalo News regarding the city's new parking regulations, and he says the changes will hurt small business.
"This is not something that I think any business owner downtown is like, 'We need to make parking more expensive,'" said Lesniak. "It just doesn't make sense."
While some may not be too affected by the increased regulations, Lesniak says there are certain types of business that could be severely hurt.
"As a business that relies on multiple customer interactions a week from the same customers, that becomes very daunting to get people who do not work and live downtown to want to drive downtown on a regular basis and visit local establishments like my gym," he said.
He added that the dollar change may seem minuscule for people who don't visit the city as often, but it certainly adds up for those who are there a majority of the week.
"It's very different from somewhere like Shea's where you're only going to come down there once or twice a year," said Lesniak. "That's not a big deal when you're paying $4 instead of $2 or $2 instead of nothing, but my average client is here five to six days a week, and they want to extend the hours to 10 p.m. on the weekdays and all day on Saturdays. So, we're looking at someone who could potentially be spending $0 on parking to $80 per month on parking."
"It would continue free parking in the City of Buffalo from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., changing both times - the morning and the night - back to where it was, and restoring it on weekends and the previously recognized holidays," said Pridgen.Lesniak responded to that news by saying he appreciates the decision to act on behalf of his constituents, but he remains concerned about the 100-percent increase in rates.