Sandpoint commission reviews draft paid-parking plan to shift demand, fund upkeep

Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Commission members on Feb. 12 heard a city staff presentation on a draft parking-management policy that would introduce paid parking at several off‑street lots, revise annual and business passes, and create a fee schedule for boat launches and trailer parking.

City staff framed the measure as a response to what the staff called a misallocation of demand between on‑street and off‑street parking. “The primary purpose of the parking management plan is to solve a problem that we know exists with our parking facilities,” Jason Welker, city staff, told the commission, citing a 2022 parking study.

The study figures Welker cited: about 1,597 public parking stalls in the downtown area, of which 505 are off‑street and 1,097 are on‑street; during peak summer periods the off‑street stalls were about 97% occupied while on‑street stalls were about 51% occupied. Welker said planners seek an optimal occupancy rate of about 85% so that at any given time a few spaces remain available in each block.

Why it matters: commissioners and members of the public said the draft would affect residents, boaters, slipholders and downtown businesses and could create a stable funding source for maintenance and capital projects. Welker and other staff described current maintenance costs and near‑term resurfacing needs as part of the case for user fees: the commission was told the city budgeted an estimated $400,000 this year to resurface the Third and Third parking lot, and staff estimated roughly $300,000 per year in maintenance/replacement costs for off‑street facilities (figures provided by staff during the…