City to sell long-term permits at Fourteenth Street lot; hourly rate raised to $2 to improve turnover

Sam Bromberg, senior project manager for Community Vitality’s access and parking team, updated the commission on May 6 about plans for the Fourteenth Street surface lot on University Hill.

Bromberg said the city will introduce a significant number of long-term permits in the lot this summer, timed to the period after students leave for summer so parking patterns are easier to evaluate. The staff recommendation discussed at the meeting would allocate roughly 70% of the lot to permit holders. The lot contains about 50 spaces, so the permit allocation would be a substantial portion of the lot.

To improve short-term turnover in advance of a permit program, staff said it raised the lot's hourly rate from $1.50 to $2.00. Bromberg said the permits will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis; permit holders will not have a guaranteed numbered space. He said permits were discussed at about $200 per quarter as a starting point.

Why it matters: The Fourteenth Street lot is one of the district's limited public-owned parking assets. Converting a majority of its capacity to longer-term permits is intended to provide predictable parking for businesses and workers while using pricing to manage turnover for short-term customers.

Bromberg said the permit hours will generally match paid parking hours (staff cited roughly 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.), and that usage patterns suggest most permits will be used during daytime business hours. She said the city plans to treat the pilot as a test, evaluate demand and report back.

Commissioners asked about the number of spaces, reserved versus first-come usage, and whether permits would be 24-hour; Bromberg said permits follow the city's standard approach (first-come, first-served, and aligned with paid-parking hours) and that the initial pricing plan would begin at roughly $200 per quarter.

Staff said a fuller evaluation and report on the permit pilot will be provided later in the year.