Council members and staff discussed a range of downtown parking issues — including how to manage spillover from events and restaurants, a new public garage at 1933, loading and unloading for deliveries, ride‑hail pickups and long‑term RV parking — and asked staff for follow‑up while no ordinance or formal policy change was adopted at the meeting.

Henry Mestetzky, redevelopment director for the city of Carmel, said the gate lines at the Indiana Design Center parking facilities are monitored by the developer and that in the underground garage “half the spaces are free and open to the public to park for 3 hours at a time.” He said security personnel sometimes remind drivers that the surface lot adjacent to the Design Center is reserved for the center and that public garage spaces have a three‑hour limit.

Council members said they are waiting on a citywide parking study and want the study to address delivery and loading rules, residential sticker requirements near busy venues, and enforcement of short‑term pickup spaces. One councilor described truck and delivery vehicles sometimes blocking narrow streets and proposed shifting large delivery vehicles to Elm Street to avoid blocking Main Street near the Monon. Councilors also suggested mapping formal ride‑hail pickup points for developments and assigning enforcement priorities for recurring problems such as vehicles occupying 15‑minute zones overnight.

Long‑term parking concerns: Council members raised repeated examples of recreational vehicles (RVs) or long‑staying vehicles repeatedly occupying public spaces. Councilors discussed whether existing rules — a 48‑hour move‑along standard was referenced in the meeting — are sufficient or need amendment to prevent vehicles from repeatedly occupying curb spaces.

Next steps and follow‑up: Council members asked staff to provide a full update on the parking study (including any timelines) and discussed incorporating enforcement, designated ride‑hail pickup locations and potential loading‑zone changes into that work. Staff and councilors also discussed technological tools for enforcement such as automated monitoring; no enforcement policy changes were approved at the meeting.