Business owners, employees, and customers are not happy
By Andrew Harris
Hours before a regular village board meeting, an issue simmering in the background has boiled over. A large portion of the parking lot that is best known as the “municipal parking lot,” has been closed to public parking. A lease agreement between the Village of Wellsville and the owner, William and Iris LLC, has expired and negotiations over a purchase agreement are in limbo.
Today, a representative from owner William and Iris LLC, confirmed that the portion of the parking lot which the Village of Wellsville had previously leased from the new owner was now private parking. Read about that lease agreement from our previous reporting:
Since the summer of 2022, when the former “Rockwell’s Building,” on Main Street Wellsville changed ownership, so did about one-third of the parking lot. Many local businesses are directly impacted, along with tenants and downtown shoppers.
That lease appears to have ended on February 28, and the village has declined to renew the lease according to both parties. The owner of the parking lot tells the Wellsville Sun that despite efforts to renew the lease and keep the lot open to public parking, the real estate company had no choice but to forbid parking.
This sign is prominently displayed on the lot and Wellsville Village Police are putting “courtesy” tickets on windsheilds. The future of the property is anything but certain.
The village paid for the parking lot to be professional appraised and have confirmed that appraisal was completed and the parking lot was valued at $32,000.
That appraisal was the basis for an offer to purchase the property from Iris and William LLC, but that offer was not formally rejected or countered. A representative from Iris and William LLC had this to say about that offer from the Village of Wellsville:
“The property is not for sale. However, if the village wants to make a realistic offer, negotiations are possible.”
The lot owners explained that the Village of Wellsville could restore the parking lot access to the public by paying $500 per month for March and April 2023, and reimbursments for the cost of shutting the lot down(signs, labor.)
A village board meeting tonight will deal with the issue, stay tuned for updates.
