Troutdale approves paid parking at Glen Otto Park, exempts registered Troutdale residents and directs revenue to parks

Troutdale — The Troutdale City Council on June 10 approved a paid parking program for Glen Otto Park that will charge $2 per hour with a $10 daily maximum, while exempting pre‑registered Troutdale residents and certain event attendees. The council also amended the resolution to direct funds remaining after administrative costs to support Troutdale parks programs and maintenance.

Public‑works staff told the council the park’s limited supply of parking has been overwhelmed on warm weekends, and that paid parking is a common tool to manage demand and preserve public access. "The parking demand is so massive down there... it causes a lot of problems," Public Works Director Travis Soltan said, explaining the staff recommendation for license‑plate based paid parking with multiple payment options.

Why it matters: Glen Otto is heavily used by non‑residents, staff said, and paid parking is intended to manage the lot so residents can use the park and to reduce safety and traffic problems on adjacent roads. Councilors and park volunteers raised concerns about access for families and people without smartphones and about parking for building renters and special events; staff proposed administrative exceptions and on‑site options to reduce those impacts.

Key details

- Fee structure: Staff recommended $2 per hour with a $10 daily cap; payment methods will include a smartphone app or website, a pay‑by‑phone option and, later this summer, an on‑site kiosk.

- Resident exemptions: The program uses license‑plate registration to exempt Troutdale residents who pre‑register. Staff said the system will allow a modest processing lead time for registrations and that the city will provide registration in person at city offices for those without phones.

- Event and tenant handling: The resolution gives the city manager authority to provide exemptions for Sam Cox Building renters, organized public‑service events (for example, local support groups) and other reasonable circumstances. Parks staff said they plan a small number of…