CORNWALL – In a bid to get more people to shop locally, the City of Cornwall will be offering some free parking in the downtown and Le Village business districts next month.
The free parking period will be daily from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. after council received a request from the Cornwall and District Chamber of Commerce.
In passing the free parking plan tonight (Monday), Mayor-elect Bernadette Clement hoped to get some anecdotal data back from merchants on whether it helped bring in more shoppers.
The city estimates it will lose about $7,000 in revenue through the free parking or about 1.5 per cent of this year’s projected take from parking meters.
The free late afternoon parking plan ties in with a Shop Local campaign, also announced today by the chamber, the city’s economic development departments and the downtown business improvement areas.