Sandpoint planners open public comment on proposed paid parking plan to fund lot repairs

Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commissioners on Jan. 21 heard a staff proposal to add paid parking at city-owned off-street lots — including the City Beach lot and Dock Street — to generate dedicated revenue for resurfacing and maintaining aging public parking facilities.

The proposal, led by city staffer Jason Welker, responds to a 2022 parking study and estimates roughly $320,000 a year in revenue from a mix of hourly fees, dynamic weekend pricing and discounted annual passes for residents and marina slip holders. Commissioners did not vote; the meeting was a public engagement forum and staff said the plan would return to advisory committees and then to city council.

Why it matters: Sandpoint’s downtown off-street lots show very high peak occupancy, staff told the commission, and the city currently bears the full cost of resurfacing and upkeep. Staff said deferred maintenance has left lots in poor condition and that a dedicated revenue stream would protect other general-fund priorities. The proposal also must conform to federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant rules that govern roughly two-thirds of the city’s off-street spaces.

City staff framed the plan as measures to improve access for primary users — local residents, marina slip holders and downtown shoppers — by shifting some visitor parking to underused on-street spaces. Jason Welker, presenting the proposal, said the city maintains 505 off-street stalls across five city lots and 1,097 on-street stalls in the downtown commercial core. He noted a finding from the 2022 study that only about 14 of…