Sandpoint committee reviews proposed parking-management plan, discusses City Beach, fees and stormwater upgrades

City staff presented a draft parking-management plan to the Sandpoint Sustainability Committee on Jan. 28, outlining paid parking at city-owned lots, resident and nonresident passes, estimated costs to maintain parking infrastructure and plans to pursue grant funding for stormwater treatment at City Beach.

The presentation, led by Jason Welder, a city staff member, laid out data from a 2022 parking study and proposed charges for off-street city lots intended to increase turnover, raise revenue for maintenance and reduce the current high occupancy of city lots. “Free parking isn’t free,” Welder told the committee, summarizing the plan’s rationale.

The plan would not change on-street time limits; it applies only to city-managed off-street lots, including the City Lot, City Beach lot, Sand Creek lot and Dock Street. Welder said the city maintains roughly 1,602 parking stalls in the downtown commercial district — about 505 off-street and 1,097 on-street — and that many off-street lots reach or exceed capacity during peak summer hours. The 2022 study found City Beach and several off-street lots at or near 95–100% occupancy at noon on summer weekend days.

Why it matters: Welder said the proposal aims to move toward an 85% occupancy target for parking facilities during peak times — a standard the presentation described as improving turnover and reducing “cruising” for spaces — and to create a parking improvement fund so resurfacing, stormwater treatment, lighting and other capital needs are funded without drawing from other general fund priorities.

Key elements of the draft parking policy and fee schedule presented

- Proposed base hourly rate: $2 per hour at most city lots with dynamic (peak) pricing of $3 per hour at waterfront lots such as City Beach; Welder said the City Beach summer rate may start at $3 per hour.

- Resident annual pass: $15 per year, providing three hours free at most city lots and four hours at City Beach (Welder said committee feedback pushed the City Beach free allowance to four hours).

- Nonresident annual pass: twice the resident rate where required by rules tied to federal grants (Welder cited Land and Water Conservation Fund limits that restrict how much higher a nonresident fee can be compared with a resident fee).

- Downtown business/employee pass: proposed at $250 a year (Welder said this was raised from an earlier $200 proposal after business feedback).

- Marina/boat-related fees: proposals for boat-launch fees and a paid-trailer regime similar to practices in nearby jurisdictions; Welder said boat-trailer and launch fees would use Idaho resident/nonresident distinctions tied to waterways grant rules.

Costs and funding context

Welder presented city estimates that maintaining a single municipal parking stall costs roughly $575 per year (snow removal, sweeping, striping, lighting, stormwater and a per-stall amortized resurfacing estimate), and that resurfacing the City Lot is currently estimated around $400,000. He said the city has not resurfaced some lots for decades and that City Beach’s paved area drains directly to Sand Creek and Lake Pend Oreille without stormwater treatment.

Welder said he is working with City Engineer Brandon on engineering to include stormwater treatment in the City Lot resurfacing project and that the city is pursuing a roughly $600,000 grant from the state Waterways Improvement Fund for City Beach stormwater and boat-launch improvements. He described a possible three-year program of grants and capital work for the beach parking, boat launch and dock repairs.

Hotel and public-access concerns

Committee members asked whether hotel construction proposed near City Beach would reduce public parking availability. Welder said the City Beach and Dock Street parking lie within the boundary of federal Land and Water Conservation Fund restrictions and that federal encumbrances forbid privatizing or dedicating those public stalls exclusively to a private hotel or other group. He said the hotel applicant’s most recent plan reduced the number of rooms and that the applicant proposed 145 stalls initially and later provided a revised plan with fewer hotel rooms and fewer stalls. Welder emphasized there was no plan to transfer city stalls to private control and reiterated the city’s authority (including a local no-overnight-parking rule) to prevent overnight or long-term hotel use of beach stalls.

Boat trailers, launches and regional access

Welder proposed that paid boat-launch fees and trailer parking be implemented using the same technology as paid parking. He pointed to rising visitor boat counts — 19,000 recorded crossings in 2019 rising to about 26,000 in 2024 at regional checkpoints referenced in his presentation — and said many nonresidents currently use city launch facilities without paying. He and the committee discussed coordination with county parks staff; Welder said he is meeting with Matt Zeller, the county parks and waterways director, and that county infrastructure and funding decisions will affect where visitors choose to recreate.

Technology and implementation

Any paid system would use modern payment and enforcement technology, Welder said, such as license-plate recognition or smartphone QR codes, and the city would request proposals from vendors and choose a system that balances revenue with ease of use. He said the city would review occupancy and fee levels periodically (six months to a year) and adjust prices to meet occupancy targets.

Public comments and committee concerns

Members of the committee and the public raised access and equity concerns: parents who come to City Beach with children and gear questioned whether paid or more distant parking would be practical; others pointed to the difficulty for single caretakers. Committee members also raised lifecycle and environmental concerns for micromobility (e-scooter/e-bike) proposals and asked that any share programs include lifecycle and waste-management planning. Several committee members and public commenters asked that the city prioritize stormwater treatment as part of any resurfacing.

Next steps and city direction

Welder said he would present the draft to additional commissions (parks, planning and zoning, pedestrian/bicycle committee) in February and to city council likely in March, and that the city plans a community survey in February. He also said that an internal parking improvement fund exists and that the mayor supports using a major share of new parking revenue to maintain and upgrade parking assets.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve minutes from the Nov. 26, 2024 meeting: motion made and seconded (mover/second not specified in the transcript). Committee vote: aye; motion passed.

- Motion to amend the agenda to hear new business earlier (to accommodate the presentation): motion made and seconded (mover/second not specified). Committee vote: aye; motion passed.

Ending

Committee members asked the city to circulate materials and fee schedules to committee members and the public and discussed scheduling follow-up meetings in February and March. Welder said the draft will be revised based on feedback and that the committee’s input will be folded into the packet taken to council after additional commission review.