Ashland commissioners approve first reading of timed downtown parking ordinance, discuss parcel purchase to expand lots

City of Ashland officials on June 26 approved first reading of an ordinance to establish downtown parking regulations that would use license-plate readers (LPRs) to enforce a two-hour free parking period and a tiered citation structure.

The proposal, presented by Tony D. Grubb, city manager, would set a two-hour time limit in the designated zone, allow several “free unlimited” lots (including the public garage and lots beside the Paramount and hotel), and use LPRs to start the two-hour timer when a vehicle is scanned. "If you count 2 hours from the time you enter the zone and park, you'll be fine," Grubb said during the presentation.

The ordinance is intended to address merchant complaints about long-term daytime parking by the same vehicles (“roosters”) while avoiding paid meters. Grubb told commissioners the city researched similar programs used in Wheeling, West Virginia, and Pikeville, and proposed fines of $5 for a first citation, $10 for a second and $15 for a third and each thereafter. He said citation processing would be handled locally and that the city would reuse the existing Clancy program previously used for meters.

Grubb described implementation details and constraints. He said courts in the 6th Circuit limit certain enforcement methods (for example, tire chalking) and that an LPR mounted on an enforcement vehicle and a handheld LPR carried by a public safety officer (PSO Jesse Webb) would be used to scan plates. Grubb acknowledged angled, back-in parking on Winchester Avenue creates a challenge for the vehicle-mounted LPR and described a handheld alternative for those blocks.

The presentation included site-specific parking counts and near-term actions: Grubb said the lot near the Paramount currently has about 116 spaces and that a consultant estimated a reconfigured layout there could yield about 106 spaces; the hotel lot contains about 26 spaces and might be expanded by roughly 20 spaces. He also told commissioners the city has identified two buildings to remove (the Paramount-owned house and the Brooks Wells Building) and that asbestos abatement for one structure was quoted at approximately $7,500. Public safety staff plan a controlled burn in mid-July to clear a site the city owns to be resurfaced for parking.

Commissioners also considered a related real-estate purchase on the meeting agenda: an ordinance authorizing acquisition from Red Raul Development LLC of a strip between Carter and Winchester (Thirteenth to Fourteenth Street). Grubb said if the purchase is completed the city would own Carter to Winchester and "it will make it a great deal easier" to restripe and maximize parking.

Grubb repeatedly framed the plan as a start that could be adjusted if problems arise. "It's if nothing else, it's a starting point and maybe we can go from there," he said. He and Chief Kelly answered commissioners' operational questions about scanning, citation printing, and which lots would be excluded from scanning.

Next steps included final readings of the ordinances and staff work to procure or deploy LPR equipment, coordinate asbestos abatement and building removal, and implement restriping if the Red Raul parcel purchase proceeds. The commission approved first reading of the parking ordinance and moved forward with first reading of the purchase ordinance on the same agenda.

Implementation and technical details will be refined by city staff during the ordinance adoption process and as equipment and operational plans are finalized.