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Sandpoint council adopts downtown parking management plan with in-lieu fees, parking passes and phased implementation
Summary
Following months of study and public outreach, the Sandpoint City Council adopted a parking management plan that establishes a structure for parking passes, recommends a $25,000 per-space in-lieu fee for off-street requirements, and calls for phased implementation and further ordinances to set rates, enforcement and technical systems.
The Sandpoint City Council on June 25 adopted a parking management plan intended to improve downtown parking availability, raise revenue to maintain parking assets, and require new development to contribute to off-street parking or pay an in-lieu fee.
Director Jason Welker told the council the final draft incorporates feedback from the public and the Planning & Zoning Commission. Key plan elements approved by council include: a downtown parking pass program with tiers (city taxpayers, Bonner County residents, downtown business employee passes, downtown resident passes, and marina-slip passes); paid hourly parking for non-pass users in city-owned downtown lots; a recommended in-lieu fee of $25,000 per off-street parking stall for downtown residential development that opts not to provide required spaces; and a phased rollout of meter technology and enforcement beginning in 2026.
Welker emphasized the policy rationale: measured, market-priced parking increases turnover in high-demand blocks and shifts some upkeep costs to users and developers rather than general property taxpayers. He recommended flexibility in hourly pricing to achieve a target occupancy (an “effective capacity” goal of approximately 85% during peak periods) rather than fixing a single hourly rate in the policy. The final plan also contained recommended approaches for reinvesting parking revenue in the neighborhoods where it is collected, including pedestrian, bicycle and transit improvements.
Council discussion highlighted equity and operational questions: whether city taxpayers should receive special exemptions at City Beach, how downtown resident and business passes should be priced and administered, and whether an extension of the city’s parking-exempt zone along East Superior should be included (that extension drew concern and will be considered separately in forthcoming ordinance work). Welker said the ordinance changes and technical procurement for pay-station and enforcement systems will follow; the council voted to adopt the plan and directed staff to bring the implementing ordinances and an implementation timeline.
Action: Council adopted the parking management plan and authorized staff to prepare implementing ordinances and procure meter/enforcement technologies; specific rates, time limits and exempt lots will be set later in ordinance actions and vendor selection.
