Concerns about parking downtown have been heightened by the coming razing in the spring of the Midtown Parking Deck, which houses 300 spaces.
But that demolition is to make room for a more expansive parking garage to be known as Trade and Transit Centre II.
So when the city has a proposal for a senior citizens apartment building on a parking lot at Mulberry Street and Via Bella, the development should matter more than the lost parking.
Mayor Gabriel J. Campana said he must speak to the Willliamsport Parking Authority, which manages the 45-space lot where the development is planned, and City Council before identifying the buyer.
But here is what we see.
We see the potential for elderly housing, always a need and not currently within central business district boundaries.
We see revenues through collection of a building permit fee, real estate and business privilege taxes.
If the development meets all the city's criteria, we see it as a substantial upgrade from a parking lot which is already not heavily used.
Parking potential is always much easier to generate than practical downtown development.
