COMING SOON: $1.50/hour parking meters in St. Augustine

[thelakelander]

Rates will make garage cheapest place to park.

By KATI BEXLEY, St. Augustine Record

It's been a year since St. Augustine's $20-million parking garage opened, and although its parking fees are not enough to cover its costs, city staff says its revenue could spike when downtown parking meters go to $1.50 an hour in January.

In mid-October, the city will begin a pilot program with new solar-powered parking meters around the downtown plaza, where parking is now free, and charge $1.50 an hour.

After straightening some of the program's kinks, city staff expects to extend the new meters to all of downtown by January 2008, said City Comptroller Mark Litzinger.

Parking would then cost a $1.50 an hour, where it now ranges from free to $1 an hour throughout the city. The Visitor Information Center parking garage's rate is $1.25 an hour and will not change.

"The garage will be the cheapest parking in downtown, and we made it that way," Litzinger said. "The ultimate goal is to give an incentive for people to park in the garage."

People who buy prepaid parking credit cards called Smart Cards from the city will pay 50 cents an hour.

Garage in the red

The Visitor and Information Center parking garage has made more than $726,000 in its first 11 months. Records for the facility's August revenue wasn't available, and the garage has one month more before the city's fiscal year ends in October.

The debt service for the Visitor Information Center building renovation and the parking garage is $1.1 million. Its operations cost totalled roughly $886,000. Funding from the CRA -- Community Redevelopment Agency -- will supplement the facility's revenue.

The revenue in parking fees and the CRA money will be enough to cover the costs of operating the garage.

"The goal of the garage was to alleviate a traffic blight. It wasn't to make money," Litzinger said. "The city never said it would pay for itself. That's why we have the CRA."

The CRA is a state program that allows property taxes paid by residents of an designated afflicted area to be spent in that area.

The city will receive CRA funds for 24 more years, and next year's installment will be $1.2 million, Litzinger said.

The new parking meters will accept change, dollar bills, credit cards, debit cards and a Smart Card, which will gives parking rate of 50 cents an hour.

The Smart Card will be available at City Hall's financial building on Bridge Street, and people can have any amount of money put on the card.

"This is aimed mostly at local people who come downtown," Litzinger said.

The city's new meters are also used throughout South Florida, and Savannah, Ga., has an older version, he said.

"This is the new technology that everyone is going to," said Litzinger.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/090407/met_196731373.shtml

[Steve]

"The new parking meters will accept change, dollar bills, credit cards, debit cards and a Smart Card, which will gives parking rate of 50 cents an hour."

So let me get this straight - St. Augustine can figure this out, but Jacksonville? Too Tough?

Maybe some of our city leaders will venture down there, and see that they aren't that scary after all.

[thelakelander]

Personally, I'd be pissed that they are trying to force me into that new garage just because it isn't making the amount of money they hoped for.

[Jason]

Agreed.  Its tough trying to find a space in and around the square but to force locals to use the garage and walk 10-15 blocks to the square is rediculous.  Now, if there was an efficiant mode of transit then this would be a good idea.  Bring the trollys back, make 'em free and kiss the traffic woes good-bye.

[gatorback]

But 1 parking ticket is far more costly...one of the issues with the meters is just that!  The deck is stacked against you being able to pay and get your business done without running back and paying for  the same time again and again and again. 

[Jason]

Without a transit system connecting the garage to the historic district, the city might see a severe drop in tourists as well as the locals that really keep things going.

[Jason]

Downtown parking: What's next

By KATI BEXLEY  |   More by this reporter  |  kati.bexley@staugustinerecord.com   |   Posted: Tuesday, September 4, 2007 ; Updated: 10:51 AM on Tuesday, September 4, 2007

- In October, the city will stop running the Visitor Information Center parking garage shuttle on a daily basis. It will run during peak tourist events.


- In mid October, the pilot program of roughly 14 parking meters will be placed around the downtown plaza. Parking there will go from free to $1.50 an hour.


- The new meters will take credit cards, debit cards, change, dollar bills and a Smart Card, which allows for a 50-cent hourly parking rate.

- The public can purchase the Smart Card at City Hall. Any amount of money can be put on the card.


- In January, the city expects to put the new parking meters throughout downtown.


- Once the new meters are in, the parking rate in the city will be $1.50 an hour. Parking rates now range from free to $1 an hour, with most at 50 cents an hour.


- Along with the new parking rates, illegal parking fines will increase from $20 to $25 and the fine for letting a meter expire will jump from $7.50 to $20.

So, you want to increase usage of the garage by raising the meter prices but then decide to remove the only mode of transit from the garage to the historic district?  HUH???!!!!

Please learn from Jax's mistakes and DON'T DO THIS!!!!  At least keep the shuttle running as-is if not increase its use.

[British Shoe Company]

What ever happened?

[Jason]

The meters are in and working fine.  I have heard no complaints, personally, and the square is just as busy as it always is.

[Jason]

Downtown parking to get 3-hour limit

By CHAD SMITH  |   More by this reporter  |  chad.smith@staugustine.com  |   Posted: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 ; Updated: 11:46 PM on Tuesday, November 10, 2009

After receiving a number of complaints that the two-hour limit for on-street parking downtown was not enough time, the city will soon stretch it to three hours.

Mark Litzinger, the city comptroller, told City Commissioners at their meeting Monday that the new time limit would be in place in about three weeks.

Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline said she has heard from residents who say they can't get all of their business -- or pleasure -- downtown done in two hours.

Litzinger's heard from them, too.

He said the staff has waited a year or so since installing the electronic meters to address complaints so to not have a "knee-jerk reaction."

Dealing with the parking system has been a "balancing act of complaints," he told the commissioners.

None of them complained, though, and all supported the change.

Downtown parking costs $1.50 per hour, with a minimum purchase of 10 minutes. The city's parking card, which is available for purchase from the city, discounts the hourly charge to 50 cents an hour.

The city's parking lots throughout downtown already have a four-hour time limit.

Source: http://staugustine.com/stories/111009/news_2165448.shtml