Poulsbo council approves downtown paid-parking plan after months of debate

The Poulsbo City Council voted Feb. 19 to approve Resolution 2025-03, directing staff to pursue implementation of paid parking at selected city-owned downtown spaces with the stated goal of launching the program in summer 2025.

The action follows more than two hours of public comment from downtown business owners, employees and residents and extended council discussion about enforcement, employee parking and how revenue would be used. City planning staff and a hired consultant recommended a hybrid approach that keeps a majority of spaces free while placing meters on a portion of on-street and public-lot spaces.

Supporters of the resolution, including several council members, said paid parking is the most reliable local funding source to expand parking capacity and encourage turnover in core front-row spaces. City planner Heather Wright summarized consultant estimates that the proposed program could generate about $1,000,000 a year in gross revenue from paid spaces, with roughly $500,000 annually available to invest in additional parking capacity after operating costs. Wright said the consultant analysis applied to…