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Committee directs staff to prepare Chapter 104 updates, citing geo‑fencing data and Park Mobile rollout amid member objections
Summary
The Parking Committee directed staff to prepare and advertise changes to Chapter 104 (timed parking and meter-zone time limits) to standardize three‑hour timed parking and support Park Mobile programming; John O'Brien presented geo‑fencing data (~137 minutes average stay) while Mr. McInness warned enforcement would inconvenience businesses and residents.
The West Chester Parking Committee voted to direct staff to prepare and advertise revisions to Chapter 104 — the borough's parking ordinance — to clarify and enforce time limits in timed and paid parking zones and to align block-by-block settings with the Park Mobile rollout.
Committee members and staff explained the revisions are not a new policy but an effort to implement existing ordinance language (initial ordinance origins cited as 2003, reaffirmed in 2022) and to remove inconsistent or overlapping time-limit entries that complicate programming for Park Mobile. The Director said staff needed clear, block-level details so kiosks and the app can be programmed correctly.
John O'Brien showed geo-fencing data for the business improvement district indicating the average stay is approximately 137 minutes (about 2.1 hours), supporting a three-hour maximum aimed at promoting turnover. "The geo-fencing shows people leave after roughly 137 minutes," staff said, arguing enforcement would open spaces for customers and move long-term parkers into garages and lots.
Committee member Mr. McInness opposed immediate enforcement, saying the change would inconvenience customers and businesses — especially during major construction on Gay Street — and could push long-term parkers into residential neighborhoods. "If the object is to move people into the garages or surface lots, then why wouldn't you just leave it alone?" McInness said. The Director and other members replied that enforcement follows the existing ordinance and that improved turnover benefits businesses; data presented by the BID-backed geo-fencing study was cited in support.
Staff reviewed proposed block-level changes for the ordinance: removing a Darlington block near Lot 7 from timed areas; adding the west side of Railroad Alley to three-hour timed parking to discourage long-term car storage; converting 222 North Walnut from a permit area to three-hour timed parking; and creating a paid three-hour corridor on Gay Street (Darlington to New Street) where one-hour free parking currently exists. The Director noted special considerations (churches on High Street) and said some blocks could be excluded or permitted after dusk to avoid neighborhood impacts.
The committee recorded direction to staff to prepare the ordinance language and maps for advertisement and council consideration; members discussed sending the item to a work session. No final council adoption occurred at the meeting; staff will prepare the ordinance, block-level maps, and FAQs for public review as Park Mobile is phased in.
