The change comes after the New Braunfels City Council approved an ordinance establishing paid parking on second and final reading May 27.
Explained
The new paid parking system—which is geared to helping regulate high-demand areas like downtown districts—is being enforced by parking management company Interstate Parking. Downtown visitors will be able to park free for the first hour, but each additional hour will be $2, with a daily max rate of $10, as previously reported by Community Impact.
In total, downtown New Braunfels has over 750 on-street parking spaces, but only 253 of those spaces will be introduced into the new paid parking program, Interstate Parking CEO Tony Janowiec said during a May 12 City Council meeting.
Individuals who violate the ordinance will be expected to pay a $100 parking citation. If the citation is paid within 10 days, the fine would be reduced to $65, according to the city’s website. Disabled veterans displaying official state-issued license plates will be exempt from parking fees, according to a news release.
Revenue from the paid parking system will allow the city to reinvest in downtown parking through parking leases, signage and beautification and property acquisitions.
How it works
Signage will direct users to use their phone to scan a QR Code or send a text message to 94201 to pay. From there, users will register their license plate, select their duration of stay and make the payment, Janowiec said.
“This does not require an app download,” he added. “However, repeat users will have the convenience that the software will automatically remember the last three places that they use, and it will autopopulate their phone number. So folks who use it a lot will find the three steps even faster than the first time they use it.”
What to expect
The change to downtown parking will go into effect July 7. Parking fees will be enforced seven days a week from 10 a.m.-10 p.m., the release states.
Janowiec also said there will be a “soft activation” period, where individuals who do not pay will not receive a citation the first time. Instead, they will receive a pamphlet on their windshield detailing how the pay-to-park process works.
“We’ll be monitoring and continue to gather stakeholder feedback, reporting data analytics across the whole platform so that the city can continue to take that into account and plan accordingly,” Janowiec said.
In their own words
Jonathan Packer, a New Braunfels resident and president and CEO of the Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce, said this parking strategy was a “necessary and instrumental” step toward ensuring parking is available and supporting businesses and the community at the same time.
“Change is not easy, but it’s often essential and our chamber supports strategic land use [and] infrastructure investments that reflect long-term thinking,” Packer said during a May 12 city council meeting.
Joeylynn Mesaros, a downtown resident, said her neighborhood already struggles with overflow parking, especially during special events.
“I’m concerned as a resident about my parking and my accessibility to my home,” she said.
