HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-04-22 Public Comment - M. Herron - Paid Parking - please no!From:Steep Manager
To:Agenda
Subject:Paid Parking - please no!
Date:Friday, February 4, 2022 12:36:32 AM
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Hi City Commissioners,
Thanks for looking into parking resolutions for downtown. I wanted to express my feedback
about the paid parking idea, as "please, no!"
Myself and my co-workers at the Teahouse often need to park on the street for a couple ofhours, either to cover lunch hours for co-workers, or to drop off deliveries of supplies and
have easy access to the front door, especially in the wintertime (we don't have a serviceentrance in the back). To be able to utilize a street parking spot without paying is pretty critical
for us, and I'm not sure that the company owners (or any other businesses downtown) wouldbudget for some sort of parking fund that staff could utilize...
Additionally having spent time in downtown Missoula as a comparison, I've gotten the
impression many that folks avoid parking downtown since they have paid parking meters. Ifeel like a part of the lack of activity in downtown Missoula could be due to folks avoiding
paid parking. Most folks visiting downtown Missoula, including myself, make an effort topark in the neighborhoods and I think the paid parking is a barrier to the potential of
Missoula's downtown. I'm not sure what sort of revenue the City of Missoula might report fortheir parking, and if you've been able to ask for their thoughts on the effectiveness of their
meter program.
In Bozeman I feel like paid parking might be viewed as a barrier of access to downtown andthat even more folks would feel inclined to move their parking to babcock, mendenhall, and
the neighborhoods, even though the overall intention of use for the funds is good.
I've noticed that the 2 hour parking limit that's currently downtown isn't really enforcedmuch...lots of folks park for over 2 hours and are never ticketed. Perhaps more revenue could
be gained if that policy was better attended to?
What about the possibility of turning the parking lot on Rouse and Babcock (behind theeagles) into another paid parking structure like the one over by the Streamline Station? There
could be a lot of parking potential there if a structure were established.
Thanks for considering my thoughts!
Melissa Herron, ManagerSteep Mountain Tea House
manager@steepmtntea.com(w) 406-577-2740
(c) 406-223-0809