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Portsmouth council narrows downtown parking plan; directs two-hour free period and $3 High Street rate
Summary
City staff proposed a prepaid downtown parking plan with the first two hours free in paid areas and a mix of hourly and flat rates. Council directed staff to return with ordinance language modeling a $3/hour premium on High Street, $2 for other on-street/garage parking, expanded enforcement and wayfinding.
Portsmouth Mayor Glover and council members directed staff on a proposal to remake downtown parking after a staff presentation that framed the problem as distribution and enforcement rather than overall supply. City Manager Steven Carter and parking presenter James Wright laid out a plan to convert on-street, garage and surface lot parking to a prepaid system using the T2 mobile/text/QR platform and pay stations, with the first two hours free in pay zones.
"Based on the community feedback, staff has adjusted the concept to include free two-hour parking in most paid park areas," James Wright said, outlining the basic framework. Wright told the council that paid areas would bill hourly after any free period and that there would be no pay-on-exit model.
The presentation listed proposed rates. After extended council discussion about the perception of revenue-raising, enforcement capacity and access for seniors who may not use smartphones, council members coalesced around a set of directions for staff to formalize and model. Vice Mayor Moody voiced skepticism about charging on weekends and holidays: "I'm not gonna support it," he said, stressing concern for seniors and business owners.
Council agreed on these policy directions for the ordinance staff should bring back: keep the first two hours free wherever hourly rates apply; set a premium High Street rate above other on-street parking; set garages and surface lots at $2 per hour; and prioritize pay stations alongside mobile options so customers can pay by credit card. On the premium, Mayor Glover said, "Let's do 3," reflecting the council's move toward a $3/hour starting point on High Street while asking staff to re-run revenue and enforcement projections.
Council also asked staff to return with clarified agreements for reserved spaces that currently show as paid or reserved, to identify which lots can be designated for special-event paid parking (and whether attendants would be used), and to examine return-on-investment for stepped enforcement. Councilwoman Bryant urged monitoring impacts on Old Town residential permit zones, noting that current sticker fees do not fund 24/7 enforcement and asking staff to model costs if residents require guaranteed enforcement.
Staff said they will bring definitive ordinance language, refined rate proposals and revenue/enforcement modeling back to council for deliberation and a formal vote.
