We wanted to follow-up on Jay Fleitman’s letter to the editor (“Collateral damage from Picture Main Street, Dec. 4, as well as Paul Waterman’s letter on Dec. 13, 2025). Dr. Fleitman mentions the loss of commerce to all downtown businesses, including associated job losses. Additional loss of commerce will be permanent, not temporary, i.e. a loss of a third of the parking spaces on Main Street which will result in less customers doing business on Main Street.
The proposed redesign of Main Street would call for the narrowing of Main Street, loss of travel lanes and a loss of a third of the current parking spaces, where parking spaces have always been in demand. The current plan would also call for most of the angled spaces to be replaced with parallel parking which of course does not allow for as many parking spaces as angled parking does.
The first thing businesses inquire about when they are deciding whether to invest in a city is what the parking situation is for their customers. If parking is scarce on Main Street, there is the loss of commerce, (less customers), and as a result, the increased risk of the loss of potential businesses investing in Northampton.
Supporters of this proposed project say the loss of parking on Main Street would be similar to the loss of parking on Strong Avenue during “Summer on Strong.” However, Summer on Strong is only a seasonal loss of parking, not year round. More importantly, the loss of parking on Strong Avenue is on a side street, as opposed to Main Street, which is the heart of downtown and has far more businesses. Moreover, Main Street is a central thoroughfare and a state highway, unlike Strong Avenue.
Health care practitioners on Main Street who have patients that have physical limitations will also be impacted in their ability to access their health care providers if the city eliminates a third of the parking spaces on Main Street.
It should also be noted that unlike dinner restaurants, lunch places/cafes have customers with limited time and require nearby parking for quick in and out access, especially picking up orders. Other businesses also rely on their customers being able to park near their shop and run in to purchase something. Studies and common sense tell us that if there is a parking space on Main Street, even if it is not directly in front of their destination, a person driving by is more likely to stop and park than if they have to find parking in a garage.
Mr. Waterman mentioned in his letter the negative effect the traffic congestion would have on the side street near Main Street. This was a significant problem in August 2020, when the city had a similar project that also narrowed Main Street, reduced travel lanes, and eliminated many parking spaces.
If this project devastates downtown businesses, causing more rental vacancies, will property owners be forced to seek an abatement to their property taxes? In that case, the city will not only have to raise taxes on the residents to make up for this loss of the business tax base, but they will have to make cuts to essential services, which will be more collateral damage.
While everyone wants a safer Main Street, there are more effective and less invasive ways to accomplish this other than narrowing Main Street, losing travel lanes and a third of the parking spaces. For example, there could be curb extenders put in place to shorten the crosswalks, as well as raised crosswalks, (speed humps), to discourage speeding, both of which are currently utilized on Pleasant Street, and around Smith College, but not on Main Street.
It is also worth remembering that the planned redesign of Main Street would only be for a .4-mile long bike lane that does not connect to anything. Perhaps since we already have a bike trail that runs parallel to Main Street, the city would be better off having designated places on Main Street for bikes to be secured while shopping downtown.
At the very least, the city should agree to a trial run. Everyone should want a trial run, regardless of whether you are for or against the proposed redesign. A trial run would allow the city to be able to make modifications before permanent changes are made.
Judy Herrell lives in Westhampton, Margo Welch in Easthampton, and Jim Winston and Amy Mager, DACM, L.Ac., in Northampton.