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Clemson committee flags downtown parking study, metered system delays and unclear special-event towing signs
Summary
Committee members said the city will seek a comprehensive downtown parking study during budget season, confirmed a 19-space employee parking lot with $40 monthly spaces, and reported ongoing hardware and software problems delaying on-street metered parking. A member proposed clarifying special-event towing signs by adding the start time.
Members of the Clemson downtown advisory committee said a comprehensive parking study will be proposed in this year’s budget to reassess how the city manages parking downtown, including whether to add a parking garage as new development arrives.
Committee member Nathan said several council members raised the study at the council budget retreat and that the city intends to hire a firm to evaluate public parking needs, the allocation of spaces and fee structures. “We do parking downtown differently than every downtown in North America, especially every college downtown,” Nathan said.
The committee discussed a city project to create 19 employee parking spaces on North Slum Street. The newly added employee spaces will be offered at a $40 monthly rate, and staff said the city will prioritize businesses without reserved spaces or prepaid meter accounts, then those on a reserved-space wait list, and finally any remaining interested businesses. The North Slum Street asphalt work is paused because of weather; officials said paving will resume when conditions allow.
On-street metered parking remains delayed because of both hardware and software problems with the contractor. “It’s been a nightmare,” Nathan said of the rollout; staff set a tentative go-live month of March, while warning that date could slip if the contractor cannot confirm software readiness. Committee members said some of the software limitations are driven by local choices (for example, a 30-minute free period) and that rewriting or customizing software has contributed to the delays.
A committee member proposed a practical change to signs used on special-event days that now read only that “towing will be enforced.” The member suggested adding a blank space on the sign where officers can write the time towing begins using a dry-erase marker so arriving drivers can see how long they may park before enforcement begins.
The committee agreed to continue discussing parking during the coming budget cycle and to circulate study proposals to members before work sessions.
Ending: Staff said they will return with more detailed proposals and schedules as the budget process proceeds and as contractors confirm dates for paving and metering software readiness.
