On Tuesday, City Council will consider recommended changes for managing downtown parking.  I believe some background and explanation is in order since this decision effects the sustainability of downtown and The Historic District which are an important part of the City of Beaufort and the greater Beaufort area. 

 

Please take the time to review and let me and my colleagues on City Council know your thoughts as we will hold first reading Tuesday (2-23-2010 at 6 pm) and second will follow in two to four weeks.

 

Feel free to contact me at billyk@islc.net or join us at the City Council meeting to personally share your thoughts. Our temporary meeting place is in the court room of the new City Police and Court Complex at the corner of Boundary and Palmetto Streets with the entry on the west side across from the city hall which is under construction.

 

The proposal:

Principle changes affecting the 476 downtown parking spaces:

1.  Change parking fine for expired meters from $3 to $10
2.  Increase hourly rates from $.50 to $1.00
3.  Eliminate time limits on all meters except at the Visitors’ Center, (The Arsenal on  Craven Street) where parking will be restricted to 30 minutes to ensure turnover by those who check in at the Center
4. Install new parking pay stations that accept credit and debit cards
5. Set aside two parking spaces on Carteret and Craven Streets for tour bus loading and unloading
6. Make spaces available to employees at the rate of $35 per month
7. Maintain 132 coin operated meters in selected places
8. Enforce Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 9 pm
9. Provide relief to Point and Old Commons Neighborhoods in the event daily parking encroaches on their neighborhoods

10.Work with owners of private lots, used primarily by employees, to  

     maximize the opportunity for parkers and property owners.

 

A New Solution to an Old Story

When I came home from Washington, DC to live in Beaufort, just over 20 years ago, my first volunteer activity was to serve on the Board of Mainstreet, where I was on the Parking Committee and, not long thereafter, became the Committee Chair. During my tenure, and the tenure of those before and after me, we faced “the problem” of inadequate parking downtown.  During that period, and many times since, the City and Mainstreet commissioned multiple studies, some by merchants and others by consultants.  Each demonstrated that the principle downtown parking challenge was employee parking, irregular enforcement and the inefficient use of public and private open space.

 

Though I know some are concerned about proposed changes, I am proud that City Council had the courage to explore a new way, since after many, many years, the City failed to fix the problem.

 

Yes, we surrendered and turned to someone who has the ability to correct what is wrong.  Accordingly, we assigned parking management to the City Redevelopment Commission, in concert with Mainstreet, Beaufort, USC,  since we believe downtown merchants have the highest stake in a parking system that works and they have paid the price for its failure over the years. Furthermore, income from downtown parking will no longer go to the City’s General Fund; it will go through the Redevelopment Commission to Mainstreet and be used to fund improvements to the downtown area and for expanded marketing.

 

Because they are there day-to-day, merchants and restaurant owners understand the needs of their customers and employees.  To help them with this assignment, they retained professional help through Lanier Parking Systems, a company with years of experience managing parking throughout the region and elsewhere.

 

The Challenge

The principal purpose of regulated parking is to ensure turnover so that shoppers can come and go with a reasonable expectation that they can find a convenient place to park.  (As an aside, when I was on the Parking Committee, we tried free and meter less parking, but it did not work: the trust was abused and there was little turnover, leaving few spaces for shoppers. Accordingly, we removed the bags from meters except during the month of Christmas, and resumed metered parking.)

 

The principal challenges to making parking work are: creating an alternative for employees who otherwise feed Bay Street meters all day long and into the evenings, thereby not leaving space for shoppers; installing meters that do not require “correct” change; consistent enforcement; and better utilizing public and private parking lots.

 

For those who do not know, the transition from City Management to the partnership between Redevelopment Commission (in partnership with Mainstreet) became a done deal last year.  There was pubic debate, I wrote about it in this newsletter and the news media reported our actions. I am sorry if anyone is caught by surprise.

 

The issue currently on the table is fees, penalties and alternative long term parking options for those who work downtown.

 

Proximity is The Underlying Factor

1. Retail customer to retail seller
2. Restaurant patron to restaurant
3. Client to service provider
4. Employee to place of employment

 

My thoughts: 

 

1. Change the fine from $3 to $10

The current $3 fine does not discourage illegal parking. One is only charged a fine when one violates limits. Through pay stations, the challenge of correct change and time limits are eliminated.

 

1.  Increase hourly rates from $.50 to $1.00

This is not unreasonable as it compares very favorably with other similar cities. 

 

1. Eliminate time limits on all meters except at visitors center

When one pays, one gets to park as long as one wants, but it is likely with the proposed $1 per hour, only those who are seeking short term parking will use those spaces while those who want long term parking will chose a less expensive alternative. Some have asked why we would replace perfectly good meters.  The answer is that the technology currently in place is out dated and needs replacement in most places anyway.

 

1. Install new parking pay stations that accept credit and debit cards as well as coins

This eliminates the challenge of not having correct change. Furthermore, if parkers wish, the technology exists to call their mobile telephones through which they can extend their parking time without leaving the shop or restaurant at which they are doing business. (I am actually not certain if this option will be installed initially, but the equipment has the capacity to do so.)  Furthermore, the kiosk approach creates a simpler opportunity for merchant validation of parking for their customers.

 

1. Set aside two parking spaces on Carteret and Craven Streets for short term parking and tour bus loading and unloading

This is required to get tour busses closer the visitor’s center and will encourage tourists walking to Bay Street to see businesses on the side streets. It also makes in more convenient for visitors to make quick stops at the Visitors’ Center.

 

1. Make spaces available to downtown employees at the rate of $35 per month

This is to ensure employees have affordable parking. While it is counter productive for employees to park at meters on and close to Bay Street, it is important to shop and restaurant owners that their employees have reliably available, affordable and safe parking when they work. 

 

1. Maintain 132 coin operated meters in selected places

Meters appear to be working in certain areas so there is no need to replace

 

1. Enforce Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 9 pm

Enforcing meters into the evenings will further discourage restaurant employees from using spaces that customers could otherwise use when they choose to dine downtown. 

 

1. Provide relief to Point and Old Commons Neighborhoods in the event daily parking encroaches on their neighborhoods

In the event employees migrate into these neighborhoods for free long term parking, thereby making it difficult to residents and their guests to park near their homes, the neighborhood associations are encourage to ask the city to manage parking in their neighborhoods through a sticker system or other means acceptable to residents. 
. 

 

10.Work with owners of private lots, used primarily by employees, to  

     maximize the opportunity for parkers and property owners.

Through Lanier Parking Systems, the Redevelopment Commission and Mainstreet have worked with private property owners to better manage their lots to ensure even more opportunities for those who work downtown.

 

Furthermore, while not an issue for discussion at tomorrow’s Council Meeting,  since the Redevelopment Commission has already contracting parking management to Lanier, police officers will be more available to patrol the downtown, when downtown needs to be patrolled, and the City Police Department has been relieved from writing tickets, emptying the meters and accounting for the money.  Lanier will be on the streets continuously during all parking hours and they have opened a small office on Scotts Street across from Blackstone’s in what was once the terminal grill.

 

Please take the time to think about the recommendations and let me and my colleagues on council know your thoughts.  As I said, we will be considering the changes on first reading on Tuesday and second reading will follow in two to four weeks. 

 

Thanks for the benefit of your counsel as your city tries to do the best we can to maintain a sustainable downtown and celebrated Historic Landmark District.

 

Billy Keyserling