Council hears parking-management study, directs staff to work with Mill Street residents on overnight permits

Grass Valley — A parking management study presented at the March 25 council meeting recommended incremental steps — education, improved signage and enforcement, virtual license‑plate permits, and possible paid parking for targeted lots or events — and the council asked staff to work with neighborhoods on next steps.

Julie Dixon of Dixon Resources Unlimited summarized an operational needs assessment and urged a phased approach. She recommended using license‑plate recognition (LPR) already in use locally to run a virtual-permit program (no hang tags), collect anonymized occupancy data and measure when on‑street supply reaches 85 percent occupancy — a common industry threshold for capacity decisions.

Dixon recommended strengthening education and outreach, funding consistent enforcement coverage (she called for a staffed parking-ambassador or CSO position to provide continuity) and auditing wayfinding signage so visitors can find free parking lots. She suggested shared-parking agreements with institutions and organizations and said paid parking could be phased in for special events or on‑street premium spaces once data supports it.

Police Chief Alex Gamewegard and staff said parking has been a recurring issue and that enforcement requires consistent staffing. Several council members and members of the public pressed for homeowner relief at the Mill Street lot, which residents say sits empty overnight while nearby on‑street parking was removed by the lot project. Staff noted that Mill Street lot lighting and full night use are constrained by pending PG&E electrical hookups; staff said PG&E has not yet completed power work to the lot.

Council members and staff agreed on steps to advance a residential-parking approach in the Mill Street area: staff will meet with Mill Street residents to document needs (hours, number of permits requested, preferred start/end times), assess inventory and operational questions (lot lighting, cleaning, enforcement hours) and return with options. Council also discussed no‑reparking rules (which prevent the same vehicle from re‑occupying short‑term curb spaces the same day) and the potential to authorize nighttime resident permits while leaving daytime enforcement intact.

Public commenters gave mixed views. GBDA executive director Robin Galvin Davies urged enforcement and license‑plate permits to curb employee misuse of premium spaces. Several Mill Street residents called for immediate resident overnight access and traffic calming; other commenters urged caution about paid parking and voiced concerns about disproportionate impacts on lower‑income workers.

Council members did not adopt a paid-parking program at this meeting. Instead they directed staff to bring back a plan for a residential-parking pilot for Mill Street, clarify costs and funding for any enforcement position, and outline steps and timing for signage, permit technology and enforcement options.