M&T Bank parking lot will be public this summer in Lewes

The M&T Bank parking lot at the corner of Third and Market streets in downtown Lewes will be available for public parking possibly as early as Memorial Day. 

Lewes Mayor and City Council voted unanimously March 8 to enter into a two-year contract with the bank. A portion of the lot will be available for public use during banking hours, with all but four spaces available when the bank is closed. Four spots are reserved for Hotel Rodney use. 

Mayor Ted Becker has been negotiating with M&T officials at their corporate offices in Buffalo, N.Y., for more than a year. He said the bank would not agree to more than two years; however, Becker said the city should recover the costs of improvements before the contract expires. 

“We’ve heard from the business owners that this is an area that could generate better parking for them,” Becker said. “It’s right in the middle of town, immediately adjacent to the city’s lot that has 19 spaces. I think with improved signage, we can expect to see a lot more use of these two lots and realize an opportunity to see more revenue.” 

In order to have the lot ready for the 2021 parking season, minor work including seal coating, restriping and landscaping will be required. Total project cost is estimated at $18,000 to $20,000. Costs would be split among the city and M&T Bank with a smaller contribution from Hotel Rodney, which has a few dedicated parking spaces and uses the dumpsters in the lot. With additional signage and a parking kiosk, the city is expected to pay $17,000 to $18,000. 

Work can begin as soon as M&T Bank officials sign the agreement, Becker said. 

“The work does not include major construction, so we expect that this lot will be operational in time for the meter season,” Becker said. “It may not be ready by May 15, but soon thereafter.”

The plan has 17 parking spaces for M&T Bank, 10 spaces for the city and four spaces for Hotel Rodney. One ADA space each for the city and M&T Bank are also included for a total of 33 spaces in the lot.

The city’s spaces would be metered from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., every day from May 1 to Oct. 14. The bank’s spaces would be available for public use when the bank is closed, which is currently after 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, after 6 p.m. Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday. Becker said the city would accommodate St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, which uses the lot for services on Sundays as well as the first Saturday in July for its annual art show.