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SARB reviews Mission North parking recommendations; considers permits, enforcement and long-term deck
Summary
The Shopping Area Redevelopment Board reviewed a Mission North draft outlining short-, mid- and long-term parking options including enhanced signage and enforcement, potential after-hours shared lots with local businesses, residential permits and the possibility of a future parking deck.
The Shopping Area Redevelopment Board on Feb. 12 reviewed a second draft parking plan from consultant Mission North and discussed a mix of short-, mid- and longer-term steps to ease downtown parking pressures.
Marketing Director deRoo summarized findings from a Parking Steering Committee meeting and relayed tenant concerns that require daily vehicle moves, confusion about where to park, and special winter rules that reduce the allowable continuous parking from 48 hours to 24 hours during snow removal. deRoo also flagged that parking for the new El Rancho restaurant will need close monitoring.
Board members and staff focused on practical near-term actions recommended by Mission North: improve signage and curb/ fire-lane striping in municipal lots, stripe additional spaces on Elm, Cherry and W. Main, and boost education and enforcement. To improve enforcement efficiency, the board discussed providing ticket-writing software and hardware so nonofficers can track time in lots; the plan notes that ticket-writing does not necessarily require a police officer.
The board also discussed operational ideas such as a dedicated attendant (for example a person using a golf cart) who could shuttle customers to outer lots and potentially issue tickets, and targeted supply enhancements including exploring an east-side lot north of the railroad tracks. deRoo said contacts have been made with Zeeland Family Dentistry about after-hours shared parking and that Macatawa Bank and Hulst Jepsen might consider lease agreements for after-hour parking use.
For midterm management, Mission North recommends considering residential parking permits that would reserve near-in spaces for a fee while leaving farther spaces free, and using underused ends of the North and South lots for different parking priorities. The board discussed cost-sharing options such as charging for certain permits (construction, employee, residential), special assessments, tax-increment financing or requiring new developments to contribute to a city parking fund.
Longer-term options discussed included consolidating off-street parking into larger city-owned lots or building a parking deck downtown; SARB members noted a future deck could replace the North lot and would be tied to new development demands on Washington Street. deRoo emphasized that the city’s mix of about 27 public and private off-street lots (six of them public) creates a constrained footprint that will shape any future solutions.
No formal votes were taken on policy changes; SARB members prioritized customers first, tenants second and city employees third as the guiding order of priority for any changes. The board will continue evaluation and bring specific proposals back for future consideration.
