Laserfiche WebLink
free parking programs in the downtown core. City Manager Carlson responded that the boat <br />launch was not a downtown parking issue and was part of the Parks and Open Space <br />implementation. He said, however, that he would forward the suggestion to the responsible <br />department staff. <br /> <br />Regarding free Saturday parking at 8th Avenue and Pearl Street, City Manager Carlson noted that <br />the lot was a major revenue generator for the City since it was one of the most heavily used lots in <br />the downtown area. He said signage seemed like a reasonable option to help the public <br />understand where free parking actually was available. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly stressed the importance of marketing the idea of free parking in structures on Saturday <br />and Sunday. He also said that marketing the fact that the first hour of parking in the Overpark and <br />the Parcade was free would be a good idea. He suggested extending that rule to all of the City <br />parking structures. <br /> <br />Ms. Nathanson expressed her appreciation of the letter received from Downtown Eugene, <br />Incorporated regarding parking issues. She commented that many citizens were "put off" by using <br />parking structures. She noted that she had used a parking structure in Boston which had piped in <br />classical music. She suggested that Eugene parking structures could do the same thing and <br />change the style of music on a regular basis or to correspond with events that were happening in <br />the City. <br /> <br />Ms. Nathanson requested information on how the City managed its parking contracts with private <br />lots. She raised concern over the number of complaints received each year regarding parking <br />enforcement in private lots. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner also expressed his appreciation of the analysis included in the letter from Downtown <br />Eugene, Incorporated. He stressed the importance of having very clear signage at the Saturday <br />Market regarding the location of free parking areas. <br /> <br />Mr. Pap8 commented that some citizens were concerned with their safety when using parking <br />structures. He questioned how safety in those structures was considered by City staff. City <br />Manager Carlson suggested that security in parking structures would always be an issue and it <br />was one that was constantly being worked on by staff. He noted that there were some specific <br />problems related to the Parcade and people parking overnight. <br /> <br />In response to a question from Mr. Pap8 regarding how parking structures would be developed in <br />the future, Planning and Development Department Director Tom Coyle said there was not a lot of <br />money to allocate to parking structures. He said one parking venture could be leveraged with a <br />private company for one more structure project but noted that there was no money for any <br />additional ventures. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor said the demise of free parking helped put downtown in its current situation. She <br />opined that parking downtown should be free all the time. She commented that the reason why <br />people shopped elsewhere was because of the parking hassles associated with the downtown <br />area. <br /> <br />Mr. Rayor noted that parking fees added a significant amount of revenue to the general fund <br />budget and urged caution when making decisions that would affect the flow of revenue coming to <br />the City. <br /> <br /> MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 14, 2002 Page 9 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />