Committee defers decision on Washington Street midnight–3 a.m. no stopping/no standing; requests police analysis
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Summary
Alder Johnson asked the committee to consider repealing or modifying the 13-year-old downtown midnight–3 a.m. no stopping/no standing restriction on Washington Street; Downtown Green Bay Inc. and business owners offered mixed views and the committee deferred action to obtain formal police analysis and financial impacts.
The City of Green Bay committee debated whether to repeal or modify a downtown no stopping/no standing condition that restricts parking on Washington Street from midnight to 3 a.m., but deferred the matter to gather formal police analysis and potential parking-utility revenue impacts.
Alder Johnson said the restriction was adopted roughly 13 years ago and raised questions about whether the original conditions that justified it still exist. "I intentionally worded the communication to talk about repeal or modification," Alder Johnson said, adding he was comfortable referring the item to staff if committee members wanted more time to review options.
Jeff Marcus of Downtown Green Bay Incorporated told the committee he had spoken with hospitality businesses and found mixed views: some owners want the restriction maintained for ride-share access and public safety, while others are indifferent or would prefer limited change. "We really don't have a position, but we think it's worthy of a conversation," Marcus said.
Police staff provided preliminary citation counts but said they had not yet delivered a formal written opinion. The sergeant reported roughly $43,000 in citations on North Washington and about $4,800 on South Washington during the review period and cautioned that the no stopping/no standing designation is treated as a higher-severity violation because it can obstruct emergency response. "A citation for no standing ... looks like $56," the sergeant said.
Committee members proposed options including a 90-day trial removal of the hooded meters, limiting the restriction to certain blocks (south vs. north Washington) or creating a dedicated pickup/drop-off zone for ride-hailing and delivery services. Members moved and approved a referral: the committee will hold the item for one month so police can submit a formal comment and Downtown Green Bay can survey businesses on policy preferences; the committee set the item for discussion at the next meeting on March 16.
