Commissioners debate parking pricing and payment integration to boost trolley use

Chair opened the session and introduced an updated draft of the vision-plan urban design policies prepared by Cassie. Cassie said she removed sections the group agreed were unnecessary and added notes on items that need more information or department input.

The most contested policy item concerned transit payment methods and parking pricing. A committee member said transit now accepts card payments and questioned whether the plan should keep a line about "easier payment methods." The member argued that price differentials can steer behavior: "If it costs $5 to ride the trolley and it only costs $1 to park for an hour downtown, we're kinda kicking ourselves in the ****," the committee member said, urging the group to consider parking that is more expensive than trolley fares to encourage ridership.

Cassie and others discussed technical issues: the existing parking app covers only parking, Cassie said, and does not process trolley fares, creating confusion if users must learn multiple payment platforms. Commissioners suggested lower-friction options such as adding QR codes to parking signs or exploring whether the parking app could be extended to include trolley payments. The group also discussed promoting business-purchased trolley passes as a marketing tool to give to customers.

The commission did not adopt a policy at the workshop but agreed to retain language that encourages transit usage and to verify payment-platform details before removing or changing wording. Chair proposed staff follow up with the new trolley director and with businesses about promotional pass programs. The group also agreed to keep the transit item on the agenda for further vetting.

The commission closed the vision workshop and moved on to the regular planning and BOSA meeting.