SNOHOMISH — This could be the last year people can park without consequences for the entire day in historic downtown.
The city is considering limiting the length of time to park in 425 stalls to a maximum of three hours. These stalls are located from First to Second streets, between Avenue D
and Cedar Avenue. Stalls outside the area would continue being full-day.
Parking would still be free. The change is aimed at increasing parking turnover and improving the experience of people visiting Snohomish, planning director Corbitt Loch said. This in turn would help businesses have more clients.
“By limiting time, you can create more available spaces,” Loch said.
Currently, anyone can park downtown for the entire day, no matter if they are shoppers, cyclists using the nearby trail, or business employees.
Limiting downtown parking is one of nine proposals given to the City Council at last week’s meeting by the nine-member Parking Technical Committee. The committee, comprised of city staff and businesses representatives, started meeting in April.
The City Council is expected to continue considering the group’s proposals at a meeting next month.
Among other changes being considered are building a common parking area, installing bicycle racks, and creating a parking zone for the people who live in the cul-de-sac of Cedar Avenue, next to downtown.
The goal is to implement the parking time limit in November, just in time for the holiday shopping season, Loch said.
Before this can happen, the council needs to approve the change and also update the city’s parking code. The city would then order traffic signs informing drivers about the time limit. Businesses would also need to do an educational campaign about the changes, Loch said.
There are still some details to discuss, like whether the time limit would be restricted to certain hours during the day.
If approved, anyone parking more than three hours might get a $30 fine that would go into the general fund. A community service officer would be assigned to patrol the area. This position would be paid by the city, even if police services are contracted out to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, Loch said.
There should still be plenty of space available where fishermen and cyclists can park all day. Parking spaces on First Street between Avenue D and Highway 9 recently opened after the city finished adding miles of pipeline to the wastewater treatment plant, Loch said.
The proposal to limit downtown parking time is supported by Historic Downtown Snohomish, the volunteer nonprofit organization that promotes the area for tourism.
With this change, the group is hopeful it will help attract more customers, said Kimberly McIlrath, president and a member of the Parking Technical Committee. It could also help fix some parking problems the area has had for about 20 years, she said.
“It’s going to promote economic vitality and parking efficiency so downtown businesses will thrive,” McIlrath said.
Alejandro Dominguez: 425-339-3422; adominguez@heraldnet.com.
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