Downtown Pontiac Parking Program Set to Launch in November
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Oct. 21, 2014)
The contracts have been signed and the new multi-space parking meters are on their way to bring paid on-street parking back to Downtown Pontiac. Not everyone is thrilled about the revival, but Downtown Business Association President Glen Konopaskie says it’s a necessary part of bringing customers to the Downtown shops and restaurants.
“Right now we’ve got business owners and employees who get here early in the day, take the best spots, and leave their cars there all day long. Then customers have nowhere close to park,” Konopaskie said.
The planning of the system has been in the works for months, with presentations to City Council, talks with the State’s Pontiac Receivership Transition Advisory Board, and negotiations with SP Plus who will be managing the system. The final plans were share at an open house on Oct. 15 following the DBA’s regular meeting.
SP Plus is investing $130,000 on 15 Luke II parking meters and 16 single-space units. They will manage and profit from the system, but giving a payment of $2,000 a month ($24,000 per year) to the DBA. The DBA will give $8,000 a year back to the City to cover some administrative costs, including fine collection. The remainder of the profit will be re-invested in the DBA for the benefit of Downtown businesses.
Konopaskie said the meters should arrive and be installed in early November. There will then be a period of time when people are given warning tickets, to alert them to the new system and give time for the community to adjust. “They’ll be painting the lines on the parking spaces in the next two weeks,” he said. “That will be the first sign that a change is coming. And we’ll be adding lots of signage. People will know the meters are there.”
The Luke II parking kiosks are used in cities around the country including Ann Arbor and Ferndale. They accept credit cards or cash and offer the opportunity for drivers to be notified by phone when their parking is about to expire, along with the chance to add more money right from their phone. Instead of having numbered spaces, users enter their license plate number, giving them the ability to change spots without having to lose time or re-pay.
“This way you can have dinner at 51 Grille, go down to Buckner’s Café for desert, pick up some things at Lafayette Market, and not have to worry about parking.”
The rate is $1 per hour with a 3 hour limit. Enforcement of no overnight parking means that plow trucks will be better able to keep the Downtown Streets clear of snow in the wintertime.
SP Plus will have an office in Downtown Pontiac where they can monitor the system, answer questions and address any concerns. SP Plus currently manages parking programs in Downtown Birmingham, the Detroit Renaissance Center, and Detroit Metro Airport.
Questions and concerns ranged. One business owner said he wished he could just purchase the spots in front of his store for his customer use only. Another wanted to buy pass so they would park at any time. Another questioned if people would pay to park in Pontiac. “Everybody keeps comparing us to Troy, to Bloomfield, but you need to come out of the clouds. This is Pontiac,” the woman in the audience said.
Konopaskie noted that Pontiac used to have parking meters before the Emergency Financial Manager took them out to be sold. “This is something that we all need to get used to if we want to have customers to be able to come and have a place to park,” he said. “The parking spaces being filled up have starved the businesses… We need the residents and businesses to get off the street so shoppers can come.”
More information on the parking program can be found on the DBA website at www.pontiacdba.com/#!parking/cug2.
For more Pontiac news go to http://oaklandcounty115.com/category/pontiac/.
Previous stories:
http://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/09/27/pontiac-pushes-for-downtown-parking-program-town-hall-oct-15/