In Hollywood, FL....
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/1213593345_8XmbL-M.jpg)
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2011-mar-elements-of-urbanism-hollywood
QuoteHaving to pay for parking â€" or worrying about getting a ticket â€" will no longer be a problem in downtown Hollywood.
On Wednesday, the commission agreed to allow free street parking in the downtown area’s 1,500 metered spaces. Parking in the two downtown garages will cost $1 an hour. Previously, the first two hours were free.
“Parking today is a miserable experience in downtown,†said Mayor Peter Bober, who has been a proponent of free parking. “It just frustrates people.â€
The program is expected to begin Dec. 1 and will include a three-hour limit for most spots.
But two commissioners voted against the item, saying there was no concrete plan to recover the loss of $1.4 million for its traffic enterprise fund and $60,000 for its general fund.
Commissioner Heidi O’Sheehan said that city â€" which faced a $38 million deficit this year â€" is not in the position to lose more revenue.
“I need to know where that money’s coming from,†she said.
She also feared that the city is spending money it doesn’t have, which led to the city’s financial woes in the first place.
“We were spending money we didn’t have to spend,†O’Sheehan said. “I am not willing to do that again.â€
But the majority of the commission said the city needed to do something to drive traffic to the downtown area, which includes busy Hollywood Boulevard and Young Circle.
Business owners begged the commission to remove the street meters, saying customers don’t come to the area because it’s a hassle to park â€" and police are quick to give tickets at expired meters.
“We need to be able to market the downtown as a friendly and welcoming place,†said Chris Eberle, owner of The Big Easy Bar and Grille and the president of the Downtown Business Association.
Eberle said the businesses will pitch in to market the free parking and encourage employees not to park in the free spaces.
This is not the first time the commission considered free downtown parking. In September, it considered allowing free parking in the garages, at 250 N. 19th Ave. and 251 S. 20th Ave., for three months. But the idea was shot down, with commissioners saying they needed a long-term plan.
Vice Mayor Patricia Asseff said while she thinks free parking is a start, the city has to continue to boost the image of downtown.
“This is just a small part of the puzzle,†she said.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/16/2505529/hollywood-commission-oks-free.html
;D Damn you Lake... freeking tease headline got my heart racing... ;D
Gotcha!
Good for Hollywood.
Quote from: BridgeTroll on November 17, 2011, 06:57:36 AM
;D Damn you Lake... freeking tease headline got my heart racing... ;D
Ditto
I fell for it, but I had mixed emotions. Half of me was ecstatic, but half of me was really pissed that we just wasted all that money on those smart meters. Now I'm just fully disappointed that another city has better vision than we do.
^Maybe we can buy their smart meters for cheap? After all, they no longer have a need for them.
Lake! Why did you do this?! :D I got so happy thinking this was about Jacksonville! Has there been any update about this in Jacksonville?
Quote from: thelakelander on November 17, 2011, 07:03:46 AM
Gotcha!
Damn you Lake. Now I have to take my blood pressure meds! :P