Sandpoint staff propose paid off-street parking, residents and businesses raise access concerns

City staff presented a proposed parking management plan to the Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 21, outlining a program of paid off‑street parking intended to increase availability for local users and create a dedicated fund for maintenance and upgrades.

The plan would apply to city‑owned off‑street lots — including the City Beach lot, the city lot across from Joel’s, Dock Street (Windbag Marina), Sand Creek and the Pend Oreille Bay Trail lot — and would not add paid meters on on‑street spaces, Jason Welker, city staff, told the commission. The staff proposal would offer a $10 annual pass for city residents and a $20 annual pass for nonresidents (federal grant rules limit price differentials), a proposed maximum daily fee of about $16 at most lots ($20 at Dock Street), and weekday/hourly rates of about $2–$3 during peak weekends to drive turnover. Staff estimated roughly $300,000–$350,000 in annual revenue under current use assumptions.

“This parking management plan was a recommendation in our comprehensive plan and a recommendation from our parking study in ’22,” Welker said. “We’re really trying to improve access for members of the area, to our public resources downtown.”

Why it matters: Sandpoint’s off‑street lots are heavily used in summer and many are overdue for resurfacing and stormwater improvements, staff said. The city’s 2022 parking study counted roughly 1,097 on‑street stalls in the downtown core and about 505 off‑street stalls; staff said about 300–350 of the off‑street stalls lie inside a Land and Water Conservation Fund boundary and therefore are subject to federal grant restrictions on fees and differential pricing.

What staff proposed - Limit paid management to off‑street city lots (not street parking) with dynamic pricing for peak periods at City Beach, Sand Creek and Dock…