The city of San Marcos is considering charging for parking downtown, a move city staff and officials hope would increase property values and create revenue that could be reinvested in the area.
"Parking downtown is not a new issue for San Marcos," Planning Manager John Foreman said.
Currently, drivers who exceed the 2-hour parking limit downtown are subject to a fine of $25. According to a study presented at the Nov. 6 City Council meeting, there were 2,906 parking tickets written for violations in Downtown San Marcos in 2010. The study also showed that spaces on Hopkins Street between S. LBJ Drive and Guadalupe Street are the hottest parking commodities in Downtown San Marcos.
The proposal to add on-street parking would probably start small with only some high-demand areas becoming paid at first, Foreman said. Enforcement times and parking fees could also vary, he said.
Mayor Pro Tem John Thomaides said communication would need to be a top priority for any plan involving paid parking downtown. Thomaides said he wanted to ensure officials and staff did not end up in a situation similar to the recent discussions concerning a roundabout that was to be built on Hunter Road. Plans for the roundabout were scrapped after public outcry against the plan in October, but not before officials and staff spent considerable time and resources in preparation for the project.
Matthew Lewis, director of planning and development services, agreed with Thomaides' assessment. Lewis said outreach tends to be a difficult point when talking about parking issues. Those affected do not typically show interest in the topic until implementation is near, he said.
Lewis said city staff would go door-to-door to talk to affected business owners before a program is implemented.
"This is not an item that we will achieve consensus on, I'll tell you that right now," Lewis said. "This is a scary thing for business owners because it's a dramatic change. When you're redefining the public and private realm in front of their businesses, that impacts [the business owner]."
Place 2 Councilman Jude Prather said he was uncomfortable with the idea of paid parking downtown.
"I park everyday—Monday thru Friday—on the Square, and I never have problems finding a place to park," Prather said. "I know that's short-sighted and hopefully our downtown will continue to growbut maybe we could try more of an enforcement mechanism versus paid parking in the sense that you have an hour of free parking and you have more enforcement and compliance with that."
Mayor Daniel Guerrero said downtown parking is an important issue, but it should not be rushed through without communicating with stakeholders.
"Certainly there is a sense of urgency in wanting to get something moving because of the [comprehensive] plan and the interest in trying to look at downtown as a destination, but keep in mind this has been an issue for a long time so we need additional time for people to have those conversations," Guerrero said.
Council directed staff to create a communication plan and gather further information on how such a paid parking ordinance would affect residents and downtown businesses.
Fire Marshal Ken Bell also gave a presentation on a measure that would prevent parking congestion in certain residential areas through a residential parking permit system.