One of the chief objections to the new convenience store and deli has been the lack of available parking downtown.

At its June meeting, the Board of Selectmen voted to assign $6,000 of town money to the construction of eight to nine parking spaces along the back wall of Town Hall, intended as overflow parking for Station Place.

The existing lawn will be dug up and replaced by a layer of gravel, and cars will park perpendicular to the building. The cost of materials is estimated at $4,000, with the work to be performed by the town’s Public Works Department. LED lighting for the area, estimated at $2,000, will be installed by an electrical contractor.

At public hearings for the proposed deli, Wood Creek Bar and Grill owner Michael Dinsmore has repeatedly said that lack of parking in Station Place causes potential customers to drive right through Norfolk to the next town.

Employees of Infinity Hall regularly use the existing lot at Town Hall for parking during their shifts, and Ryan Craig, owner and operator of the proposed Berkshire Country Store, has said his employees will do the same.

The Planning and Zoning Commission is recommending to the selectmen that a parking subcommittee be formed, according to commissioner Schuyler Thomson. Its function would be to coordinate parking issues between the various stakeholders—town bodies, local businesses, neighboring property owners and town residents generally.

First Selectman Sue Dyer expects construction on the new parking area to start in the fall, once the farmers market season closes. In the meantime, says Dyer, “there’s plenty of underutilized parking up here.”