Item B: Private Parking Lot Operators - Fines and Practices

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ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Work Session: Private Parking Lot Operators – Fines and Practices Meeting Date: November 30, 2011 Agenda Item Number: B Department: Planning and Development Staff Contact: Jeff Petry www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5079 ISSUE STATEMENT This work session will provide information on private parking lot operations in the City of Eugene. BACKGROUND The City of Eugene operates three (3) public surface parking lots and eight (8) public parking structures. The City issues parking citations based on the Eugene City Code in City-owned parking lots and in the public right-of-way. On private property, property owners may choose to allow only customer or tenant parking during certain parts of the day or all the time. They may also choose to allow members of the public to park their cars on their property, based on certain conditions. These conditions may include a fee to park. Currently, the City does not regulate parking fees or fines/penalties charged by private property owners. Property owners often contract with private parking management services to manage and enforce the conditions they have placed on their parking property. A property owner may also choose to contract with tow companies to remove unauthorized vehicles from a private lot (e.g. dedicated parking spaces at an apartment complex). The City of Eugene does regulate towing. Many private lots charge a fee for parking, and some enforce the time limit and fee requirements by giving violators an invoice that resembles a parking ticket. In the City of Eugene, Diamond Parking Services is the largest private parking operator that owns parking lots and contracts with private property owners to manage their parking lots. Other private th businesses that charge fees or issue parking citations include the 5 Street Public Market, through their in-house Northwest Parking Services business, and Peace Health which issues its own parking fines. There are numerous examples of property owners working together to meet their multiple parking needs. One example is the Very Little Theater that utilizes evening parking at a nearby commercial complex to park attendees for their after-hours events. In return, the employees of the commercial complex can park on the theater’s lot during the day. Given the large number of parking spaces in Eugene, this is a common scenario. S:\CMO\2011 Council Agendas\M111130\S111130B.doc