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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-11-16 DTPC Packet DOWNTOWN PARKING COMMISSION November 16, 2023 REGULAR MEETING 8:30 A.M. I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Possible approval of the October 19, 2023 meeting minutes IV. OPEN FORUM - The Open Forum is a portion of the Commission meeting to address subjects which are not a part of the meeting agenda. The Chairperson may reply at the time of the statement or may give direction to staff regarding investigation of the concerns expressed. Out of respect for others in attendance, please limit your comments to 5 minutes or less. V. CONSENT AGENDA – These items are considered routine and will be enacted by one motion with no discussion. Anyone may request an item to be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately. VI. UNFINISHED BUSINESS VII. NEW BUSINESS 2. Requests for Loading Zone (Peter Hovland and Loft at Studio J) and Valet Zone (Loft at Studio J) on 200 Block of Main Street South VIII. FYI – STAFF UPDATES 3. Update and Discussion on Downtown Parking Changes Implementation – NO PACKET MATERIALS IX. ADJOURNMENT ]water ~ 216 4th Street N, Stillwater, MN 55082 651-430-8800 www.stillwatermn.gov DOWNTOWN PARKING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES October 19, 2023 REGULAR MEETING 8:30 A.M. Chairman Glynn called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. Present: Chairman Glynn, Commissioners Lentz, Lepage, Rheinberger, Councilmember Junker Absent: Commissioners Bates and Kaufer Staff present: Community Development Director Gladhill APPROVAL OF MINUTES Possible approval of August 17, 2023 meeting minutes Motion by Chairman Glynn, seconded by Commissioner Lepage, to approve the August 17, 2023 meeting minutes. All in favor. OPEN FORUM There were no public comments. CONSENT AGENDA There were no items on the Consent Agenda. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business. NEW BUSINESS There was no new business. FYI/STAFF UPDATES Update and Discussion on Downtown Parking Changes Implementation Community Development Director Gladhill led discussion on recent parking changes. The payment system is working well. The next focus will be signage. Temporary signs will be tested before installing permanent signs. Higher contrast QR codes will be supplied by Passport. In lots 1 and 2, signs will be added pointing people to pay stations, and two more credit card terminals are on order. Signs may state what lot number it is, and “Parking Permits are Valid in This Area.” Staff will emphasize to the public: 1) the Passport Parking app is not absolutely necessary if you want to park in downtown Stillwater; 2) vehicles with disability permits may park free for 4 hours. Statutorily, the City must provide free parking for at least 4 hours for vehicles with a disability sticker or plate. cStillwater ~~ ......, ' The Birthplace of Minnesota J Downtown Parking Commission Meeting October 19, 2023 Page 2 of 4 Commissioner Lentz asked about signage for employee parking, and Mr. Gladhill replied the signs could say “Permit Parking, “Business Permit Parking” or whatever the Commission decides. Currently Lot 11 is for employee parking or permit parking only. Lot 14 (Shorty’s) may be used too if needed. Chairman Glynn said there is confusion whether employee parking and resident pass parking is the same. Mr. Gladhill stated the City has several categories of parking permits - maybe they should all just be called parking permits. Most permit lots allow business parking permits and residential parking permits. It might help if signage says “Parking Permits are Valid Here.” Staff is trying to simplify this. Councilmember Junker remarked that business and resident permit parking have two different symbols on the parking map. Commissioner Lepage said the City could still track permit types for internal purposes, but in the public eye maybe it should all be designated paid permit parking. Councilmember Junker pointed out that snowplowing is an issue for overnight parking for residents. Mr. Gladhill said the City is collecting better data from permit holders including emails, so they could be notified of the need to move the vehicle for snow removal or events. Chairman Glynn commented there is confusion about street parking and parking in some of the smaller lots. He doesn’t want to get to the point where every parking place has a sign but he thinks a lot of people are parking without paying. There is an enforcement issue. Mr. Gladhill responded staff wants to test on-street parking signs. The Police Department will authorize some overtime hours to start testing enforcement and using the license plate reader, and will start ramping up to issuing citations soon. Commissioner Rheinberger guessed that the City may be losing half of the potential revenue from people who don’t pay. Councilmember Junker said he thinks it is more, however technically this is not a loss because they were not paid spaces anyway, it’s additional revenue because this is a conversion to pay lots. Reminder notices may help change driver behavior. Chairman Glynn suggested the parking enforcement officer should work noon - 8 pm. when the pay parking is in effect. Mr. Gladhill replied that currently, that position is half parking enforcement and half community service officer. Councilmember Junker commented that the yellow stripes throughout downtown being criticized on social media. Clearly they are for visibility but to most people, yellow means no parking and for some reason it’s not being enforced so many people are parking in yellow zones. Mr. Gladhill answered he understands there must be a sign there, in addition to the yellow curb, in order to issue a ticket. Permit numbers have doubled to about 200 permits. There has been an increase in hourly parking revenue as well. The City should purchase the permit module from Passport and possibly also a module for enforcement. Each module is about Downtown Parking Commission Meeting October 19, 2023 Page 3 of 4 $15,000/year. He went on to convey feedback that every resident should get a discounted pass. Staff strongly recommends against this, that is why 60% of the parking is free on this side of Main Street. The City could consider discounting senior citizen passes for Stillwater residents. He asked for feedback on the $10/day rate for larger events - should it apply only to the ramp or to the surface lot pay zone as well? Councilmember Junker noted the parking system started on September 8, a month later was the Art Fair and Harvest Fest which would have kicked in the $10 for every lot that was just converted to paid including the ramp. He called the Mayor and asked if he was aware that every lot is going to $10 and he said no. During the transition period, he, the Mayor and Mr. Gladhill felt it was best to go with the standard paid rate, so the lots were charged at the standard hourly rate for the events. Commissioner Lepage pointed out the event rate is not $10 per day but $10 per car. Turnover brings in more revenue. Chairman Glynn suggested there could be sandwich boards placed indicating “Event Parking Rates Apply Today” to inform the public. He asked if business parking mitigation is no longer in effect, and Mr. Gladhill answered yes. Councilmember Junker explained the parking mitigation fees went into effect in 2007, so for 15 1/2 years, some businesses paid into the mitigation system if they weren’t able to provide parking. The City collected about $30,000/yer from 22 businesses. That is now gone. Mr. Gladhill added that with new construction, they would have to pay that offset fee if they can’t accommodate their parking by physically creating a new parking space. It is a one time charge that applies only if it’s a physical expansion or new construction, not if it’s only a change in use. Commissioner Lepage said he feels $10 event parking is too low. He suggested charging $20 for event parking, noting there are many options available like shuttle service and overflow into neighborhoods. If they want to park right next to the event, they should pay for it. People will not stop coming to events. The revenue is needed to fund a new parking structure, infrastructure, paint and enforcement. There is a lot of parking that is free and a very limited amount of primo space. Councilmember Junker said he is hesitant to go to $20. Commissioner Lentz suggested $12. Commissioner Rheinberger agreed with Commissioner Lepage. He would like to try charging $10 for the World Snow Sculpting Championship in January and then try charging $15, and so on, increasing it over time. Commissioner Lepage said he would prefer a consistent price. Chairman Glynn said he thinks $10 is too cheap and $20 is too expensive. Downtown Parking Commission Meeting October 19, 2023 Page 4 of 4 COMMISSION REQUESTS ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Rheinberger, seconded by Commissioner Lepage, to adjourn the meeting. All in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 9:27 a.m. Brad Glynn, Chair ATTEST: ________________ Tim Gladhill, Community Development Director DATE: November 16, 2023 TO: Honorable Chair and Downtown Parking Commissioners FROM: Tim Gladhill, Community Development Director SUBJECT: Requests for Loading Zone (Peter Hovland and Loft at Studio J) and Valet Zone (Loft at Studio J) on 200 Block of Main Street South DISCUSSION The City has received two (2) requests for Loading Zones on the 200 Block of Main Street. Additionally, The Loft at Studio J has requested the establishment of a Valet Zone. Several parking stalls were recently established on this block on Main Street as part of the Chestnut Street Plaza Project. Prior to this, the space in front of The Loft at Studio J was a No Parking Zone/Traffic Lane. Any previous reserved parking (loading or valet) was done so without approval by the City. By approving the request, the City would lose multiple parking stalls recently gained by restriping/elimination of a Turn Lane on Main Street. Any change requires approval by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT), as Main Street is a State Highway. Staff acknowledges that loading zones are a topic needing additional discussion. However, Staff is concerned about the ripple effect of approving individual requests without a broader study and policy on loading zones. Peter Hovland Request – Relocate Existing 15 Minute Loading Zone Peter Hovland has submitted a request to relocate an existing 15 Minute Loading Zone currently located in front of 224 Main St S to the corner of Main Street and Chestnut Street in front of 202 Main St S. Continued on next page. Loft at Studio J Request – Convert two (2) new Parking Stalls to Loading Zone/Valet Zone reserved for Loft at Studio J The Owners cite a concern with public safety due to vendors double parking on Main Street. The space in front of 214 Main St S was not a Loading Zone, Valet Zone, nor Parking Stall prior to 2023. Staff is concerned about the ripple effect of establishing valet zones. Currently, valet zones are only offered to hotels and lodging due to their unique overnight parking needs. Continued on next page. RECOMMENDATION Staff supports the relocation of the 15 Minute Loading Zone on the Southbound Lanes of Main Street for operational purposes. Staff is concerned about establishing a Valet Zone for a specific user without a broader Valet Zone Policy (types of uses, locations, etc.). If the Commission desires to consider the valet zone request, it should prioritize a comprehensive plan for loading areas and valet areas by matter of policy versus individual requests. ACTION REQUESTED Motion to recommend that the City Council approve/deny the request for the relocation of the Existing Loading Zone currently located in front of 224 Main St S to the space in front of 202 Main St S. Motion to recommend that the City Council approve/deny the request to convert two (2) new parking stalls to Loading/Valet Zone in front of 214 Main St S.