Now that St. Joseph City Commissioners have approved a new paid parking plan for the downtown this summer, what happens next?
City Communications Director Kayla Griffith tells us with all paid parking to be on street only this year, the pay stations seen all over the downtown will be moved to be ready for the return of the program on June 1.
“So, out of the lots, off of Lake Boulevard,” Griffith said. “We’re also going to increase the number of paid parking stations on the street. One piece of feedback that we heard a lot last year was that pay stations were too far away from where people park, where they had trouble getting to them or finding them. So anywhere there’s parking, there’s there’s going to be a pay station. No need to cross the street.”
Griffith said all the work of moving the stations will be done by city staff.
“It’s all going to be handled in-house, and since they’re solar, it really is just a matter of bolting them down. I think there’s four bolts on each station, so it’ll be pouring new concrete pads and removing and then re-bolting them.”
Griffith said the expected cost of moving the kiosks effort is about $20,000, and that’s mostly due to the new signage being created. We asked about the expected revenue from the paid parking program now that it’s been scaled back.
“Last year, the city earned about $76,000 in the 26 days that paid parking was active. It’s a much wider footprint that we had last year. This year, we’re really just focusing on the most in-demand spaces, and even with that, if we see consistent utilization in filling the spaces up, we’re right now expecting about $180,000.”
The cost of implementing paid parking last year was about $364,000, and Griffith says with the anticipated revenue from the revamped plan for this year, it should take about two years to recoup all those costs.
Griffith also noted the city is working with the vendor of its parking app, the Passport Parking App, to streamline the service for users. Some have complained the app was confusing last year.
“Last year, there were quite a few more options because there was paid parking in lots. That included some options for hotel stays and that sort of thing. So this year, it should just be kind of purchasing your time or a season pass and then paying.”
City commissioners this week instructed the parking subgroup to study the possibility of having an annual parking pass, something the subgroup didn’t previously recommend. Griffith says that was because the idea of an annual pass wasn’t among the common suggestions it heard from residents and business owners. But that’s now on the table.
“In the next few weeks, the parking subgroup is going to meet and the main topic there is just going to be exploring an annual pass, making sure that it’s convenient and easy is for people to buy and making sure that it’s priced right.”
The subgroup will then bring a recommendation back to the city commission.
City leaders tell us under the new paid parking plan, no city resident will have to pay for parking — no matter where the spot — as long as they register with the city in the same way they do for parks passes. Also, all ADA spaces will be completely free.
You can learn more about the city’s parking program right here.
