HARLINGEN — The city is holding off on posting hundreds of feet of no-parking zones along Morgan Boulevard.
That’s because, potentially, more available parking might mean more new jobs.
City officials continue to work with Redelco Commercial Real Estate Leasing and Advanced Call Center Technologies to find more parking spaces for the call center’s employees.
If the parties find those parking spaces, ACT might hire more employees at the call center near the intersection of Morgan Boulevard and 77 Sunshine Strip, Mayor Chris Boswell said yesterday.
“There’s a possibility they may be able to add additional positions if we help them with the parking situation,” Boswell said.
But Boswell said he did not have information readily available on the number of jobs that could be created.
Meanwhile, the city is postponing plans to consider approving a proposed ordinance that would post hundreds of feet of no-parking zones along Morgan and Washington Avenue in an effort to stop ACT’s employees from parking along those streets.
But the proposal remains on the table, City Manager Dan Serna said.
“We don’t want to put it on the agenda until we’ve discuss all options with them,” Serna said, referring to ACT.
Serna said options include buying property to create parking spaces.
“I know there’s some conversation about acquiring some property,” Serna said.
Another option could include shuttling ACT employees to a parking lot near Cinemark Movies 10 at 629 N. 13 St., a few blocks away from the call center, Serna said.
So far, Redelco has built a parking lot at Morgan and Chaparral Street for ACT employees.
Boswell said ACT has expressed concerns stemming from its employees’ parking.
“We’ve been talking with ACT,” Boswell said. “They reached out to us and had concerns. We’re exploring other possibilities. We’re going to continue to talk with ACT to try to address their needs.”
For about 15 years, ACT’s parking lot has spilled over near the intersection of Morgan and 77 Sunshine Strip.
So, many of the call center’s 833 employees park their cars along both sides of Morgan.
Serna and some nearby businesses have expressed safety concerns.
In the last 12 months, the area has been the scene of six traffic accidents, Serna said.
But Redelco representatives said ACT employees’ parking did not lead to those accidents.
The story so far
HARLINGEN — Earlier this month, Harlingen City Commissioners approved the first reading of the proposed ordinance that would designate hundreds of feet of no-parking zones along Morgan and Washington.
The ordinance would allow the city to tow cars parked in the no-parking zones, setting fines of up to $200.
Serna said the city proposed the ordinance to address area businesses’ safety concerns.
The proposed no-parking zones would stop ACT employees from parking along the busy street, in many areas blocking motorists’ view of on-coming traffic, he said.
But at the same meeting, Bob Knight, Redelco’s chairman, warned the loss of street-side parking spaces could lead ATC to move jobs to its other locations.
“We want to work with ACT but at the same time address safety issues raised by some citizens,” City Manager Dan Serna said. “We certainly want ACT in Harlingen. They’re a great employer. They employ a number of people.”
Louis Martin, Redelco’s president, declined comment yesterday.
Proposed No Parking Zone:
• West side of Morgan Boulevard 125 feet from the Washington Avenue intersection extending north 700 feet to Chaparral Lane
• East side of Morgan Boulevard 650 feet from the Washington Avenue intersection extending north 360 feet to 816 Morgan Boulevard
• North side of Morgan Boulevard extending 445 feet to Citrus Terrace Drive
