In 2019 the City Council directed the formation of the Historic District Ad Hoc Parking Solutions Committee. This was a committee comprised of residents, business owners, and other community stakeholders to develop recommendations to address the parking issues facing the Historic District. The committee completed their work in Spring 2020 and reported their findings and recommendations to City Council, which the City Council then directed city staff to implement over time. One of the committee’s high-priority recommendations was to establish a Residential Permit Parking Program to limit the intrusion of non-resident parking into designated residential areas within the Historic District.
The six-month pilot program was initiated on December 17, 2021 and concluded on June 17, 2022. City staff determined that a permit parking program could be a viable element of the overall parking management strategy in the Historic District. Ordinance 1331 was adopted by City Council on September 27, 2022 and established the framework for the residential permit parking program in designated areas of the Historic District (“Permit Zone”). The ordinance outlined the following:
- Each residential property in the Permit Zone shall be allowed to apply for and purchase two parking permits and one guest placard.
- Additional parking permits may be purchased if the resident provides proof that the additional permitted vehicle(s) are registered at an address within the Permit Zone.
- The fee for each permit and guest permit is $50 (per permit) and shall be valid for two years from the date of issuance.
- Vehicles not displaying a valid permit issued under the program are prohibited from parking in the Permit Zone on Fridays and Saturdays between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.
Per the City Council Resolution No. 10920, a minimum of 67% of property owners within the permit zone must approve the program before permits can be issued.
Ballots, along with an informational letter regarding the history of the permit parking program, were mailed to owners with properties located within the permit zone on January 17, 2023 with instructions for returning the ballot by February 28, 2023. On January 27, 2023, a copy of the letter was also hand delivered to each of the properties located within the permit zone. Additionally, on February 24, 2023, a reminder email was sent out to those property owners for which ballots had not yet been received.
A total of 45 ballots were returned: 31 votes against and 14 votes in favor of the permit parking program. The approval percentage of ballots returned was 31%. The minimum 67% approval threshold of the ballots returned was not achieved and therefore, the program is not approved.