Council advances resident-access parking pilot, refers fee rates to committee after extensive debate

Deputy City Manager Carl Weber told the Portsmouth City Council on May 4 that a one-year Resident Access Parking (RAP) pilot is intended to restore on-street parking availability for residents in two downtown neighborhoods and to collect data before any larger rollout. "The benchmark in the industry is to be at about 85 percent," Weber said. "Right now ... we're at 140 percent." He described a license-plate registration approach that would let registered residents park for free in designated zones while nonresidents would pay an hourly fee.

The proposal would also test a paired downtown workforce option, with a discounted pay-as-you-go rate for workers near the foundry. Weber said the pilot is designed to be data-driven and to return quarterly reports on utilization, enforcement costs and spillover effects. He said staff aim to begin the pilot on July 1 if ordinance and implementation steps proceed on schedule.

Residents and councilors pressed staff on a range of operational questions. Rick Beckstead and others expressed fears that lower-priced zones would attract nonresident parkers and shift demand into adjacent neighborhoods; multiple speakers recommended a $2 hourly rate rather than the $1 in the draft to reduce that risk. Robin Hustlage and Brook Stevens asked whether resident guest passes and current neighborhood signs would be preserved; staff said neighborhoods with existing posts could reuse them and suggested digital guest mechanisms could be considered.

Counselors also raised equity and enforcement concerns, including how ADA placard holders and volunteers for nonprofits would be treated. Carl Weber said ADA and veteran exemptions remain in effect, and staff will meet with stakeholders about volunteer and nonprofit needs. Council members suggested several implementation adjustments, including options to peg on-street rates to garage rates or to let the fee study committee set fees rather than locking dollar amounts into the ordinance.

After discussion the council amended the motion to refer the rate-setting question to the fee study committee, requested a report back (targeting a June meeting), and voted to renotice and schedule a second reading and new public hearing on the ordinance. The amended motion was approved by voice vote. The council also agreed the pilot should be monitored closely and staff should prepare quarterly reports on utilization and spillover.

What’s next: The council will renotice the ordinance for a new second-reading public hearing, and the fee study committee will review and return recommendations on nonresident rates and the downtown worker program before final adoption.