Washington Avenue corridor parking district approves 25% rate hike for weekend evenings

The Washington Avenue Corridor Parking Benefit District approved a rate hike for some of its meters during high-traffic weekend hours starting Feb. 14.

Evening meter rates 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. will increase to $2.50 per hour from $2, and flat-rate parking to $10 from $7 on Thursday through Saturday nights. The rate hike only applies to meters in the 5000 to 5300 blocks of Washington.

The district, which formed in 2014, splits revenue generated by parking meters with the city to use toward services and mobility improvements. It generates around $90,000 per year.

With the increases, annual revenue could increase by $15,000 to $17,000, district board member Mark Fairchild said.

“We conducted a survey of the private lots along Washington to better understand pricing and see where we fit with that,” Fairchild said. “We found we could justify charging more.”

The board has discussed ways to use the district funds, including potentially deploying a temporary crosswalk and crossing guard during high-traffic weekend evenings and events, but no plans have been firmly agreed on, he said.

The district has also begun to contemplate working with ride-hailing companies to establish predetermined drop-off and pickup areas to improve safety, he said.

“We’re interested in making that area safer for everybody,” he said.