OGDEN, Utah — A hotel in Ogden has drawn the ire of local businesses and city officials after placing paid parking signs in a shared lot without prior notice, causing confusion and frustration among workers and business owners.
The signs, which appeared overnight on Monday, designated portions of a lot partly owned by the city as paid parking. The lot is frequently used by employees of nearby businesses for parking. While the hotel has legal rights to charge for parking in the section of the lot it owns, the lack of communication with the city or surrounding businesses led to a swift backlash.
Thomas Hardy, the owner of a local salon on 25th Street, was one of the first to notice the signs. Upon leaving his business Monday evening, Hardy was startled to see notices indicating that parking in the lot behind his salon was no longer free.
“The problem we saw was that the entrances they placed the signs at made it look like the entire lot was reserved for the hotel,” Hardy said. “That’s when the confusion started.”
The lot in question includes spaces that are owned by the city and assigned for employee parking with permits. Hardy and other business owners quickly expressed their concerns to the city, prompting a response from local officials.
Ogden City reached out to the hotel’s ownership group, requesting that they hold off on enforcing the new parking rules. City officials, including Mike McBride, said they were caught off guard by the signs.
“We contacted the property owner, who has been very responsive and is working to address the situation,” McBride said. “We’ve been in contact with the hotel to make sure everyone understands what’s going on.”
In response to the mounting frustration, a second set of signs was added to the lot, reading, “Metered parking will not be enforced today” and “Free parking.” While this temporarily alleviated the issue, it did little to resolve the underlying confusion that businesses had about the new parking restrictions.
Hardy, who was initially alarmed by the sudden changes, praised the city’s swift action. “The city got right on it and worked to help straighten things out,” he said. “They’ve been awesome in helping resolve this.”
The incident highlights ongoing tensions between local businesses and the city regarding parking management. Last year, downtown businesses pushed back against the city’s proposal for paid parking, arguing that it would harm their bottom lines. Despite these previous disagreements, business owners and city officials are now working together to find a solution to the parking challenges in the area.
“We’re still working on solving the parking situation, and the city has been great about collaborating with us,” Hardy added.
As for the hotel, the ownership group has agreed to remove the signs for now while they work on repainting and numbering the parking spaces. This move should make it clearer which spots are part of the paid parking system and which are free.
The hotel did not respond to requests for comment, but city officials are hopeful that with clearer signage and communication, the situation will be resolved without further disruption.
With tensions over parking still fresh in the minds of local businesses, the city’s handling of this issue is likely to play a key role in future conversations about parking management in Ogden’s downtown area.